Web of Deceit
by Ms.Hale
Summary: Sequel to Web of Lies. A five year secret is suddenly discovered. With the risks increasing, an unlikely alliance must be formed in order to maintain their secret and their freedom. Murder, blackmail, corruption and assault, it's unfortunate that in order for them to cover up one crime, they must commit others.
1. Prologue

The living room was in disarray. The mirror shattered, couch cushions thrown on the floor, end tables flipped over, lamps broken and drops of blood embedded into the carpet. The fireplace heated up the room as the fire's blaze gave the room a tint of light. A body laid faced down, motionless in the center as a pool of blood began surrounding his form.

A woman is hunched over the body, breathing heavily as sirens could be heard in the near distance. The pinned up hair on her head falls flat around her sweaty face. She uses her free hand to wipe the wet strands of hair off of her face, as she rises to her feet. Her feet are planted firmly on the ground, as her occupied hand tightly squeezes around the blade of the knife. Eventually, her breathing rate increases as she's breathing uncontrollably. The sharp blade is drawing more blood as her grip tightens. She can barely see what she's done through her teary vision, and as she takes in the sight of the living room, she realizes that it's completely destroyed. Her feet begin to take small steps towards the front door, but the overpowering sense of fear creep over her body and force her to abruptly stop walking.

Vibrations of sobs swell within her body, and she falls to her knees. Her dress and her face are covered in blood; either belonging to her or the man lying down across the room. She's out of breath. She wants to run, but her body is ready to give up. She wants to hide, but she's over it…she's over everything. The woman is ready to throw the towel in and wave her metaphorical white flag. The knife cuts her hand deeper to the point where it starts to leak blood, and she feels nothing. The adrenaline pumping through her petite frame masks the pain.

The sound of sirens draw in closer and immediately she realizes that it's over. She's done. Her life, everything…it's over. Through the opened window, she could see few officers surrounding the house. She wants to make a run for it, but she knows that it'll be a fruitless effort. The front door breaks off the hinges as officers' raid in. She's hiccupping tears as they surround her, "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to do it!" Her head is low and she avoids eye contacts as her wails fill the house.

Shouts of orders and commands overwhelm her as their drawn weapons aim at her body. When she tries to look up, she sees the dark barrel of the gun, "No." She can see the red laser from different guns aim towards different parts of her body, "I can explain!" She wants to stand up, but the moment she makes an attempt to rise to her feet, they shoot a warning shot towards the roof, "Drop the knife! Stand up, with your hands in the air, turn around and back your way towards us slowly!"

Before the woman could oblige, she sees the town's paramedics' race in. They share a sympathetic look with her as they race over to the body, "Is he dead?" The woman starts to panic as she watches them check his pulse, "Please don't tell me he's dead!" CPR is immediately applied and the cops are a forgotten occurrence. She forgets their presence as she hopes and prays that the man is still breathing. The paramedic checked his pulse again, and within seconds, the paramedics place the dying man onto a gurney and rush him out of the house. That's always a good sign. If he were dead, he would be left, and the coroner would have to come pick him up.

Her stomach relaxes, but immediately tightens up again. The guns were still drawn. She begins breathing heavily as another warning shot flies past her head, "Next time, we won't miss! Now drop the knife!" She does as she's told. The knife falls to the ground and drops of blood from her hand follows. Her hands fly into the air, "I want to speak to my lawyer!" The blood from her injured hand begins gushing out of the wound and slowly dripping down her arm, "I need to speak to my lawyer! Please! I can explain!" Her eyes plead with the three officers surrounding her.

An officer step forward, handcuffs in hand. He holsters his weapon, as he pulls her arms behind her back, "You have the right to remain silent, anything you say-"

"Wait!" His partner shouts, interrupting the Miranda rights process, "Wait."

The officer locks one of her wrists in the handcuff, "What?" He continues to hold her free arm.

"We have to follow orders. She has rights that we have to read. Let me finish."

The woman starts to cry harder, "Wait! I can't be arrested! No-"

"We have orders to shoot to kill." The older officer reminds his fellow co-workers. The three officers in the living room surround the woman as she sobs quietly. The arresting officer unhooks her handcuff, "I'm sorry, but they're right."

"Who ordered that? Wait!" She extends her good hand, as her injured hand remained resting against her chest, "Please, let me explain myself! I can tell you what happened to Royce Sr. I can tell you everything. I can give you money. I won't say anything…just let me leave!"

Each officer aims their weapon, and brushes their finger over the trigger, "No can do."

"Please," she looks up and notices the barrel of the gun aimed at the space between her eyebrows, "Please don't do this." She closes her eyes and begins reciting a prayer.

"Just breathe, and count to three," another officer kindly instructs, "it'll all be over soon."

 **-Tiffany.**


	2. Three Months Earlier

**Three Months Earlier**

The plane touched down in Port Angeles, Washington…known to the town of Forks as just Port. It was the nearest city to their small town, and for the next few weeks, it would be their new home. Rosalie stepped off the plane, and walked through the terminal. She occasionally received glances from the bystanders as they walked pass, but she was used to it. Since her attack, her town had always stared at her, and since her book's release, those who were familiar with her story would unintentionally gaze at her. As the couple wheeled their suitcases, their hands intertwined, "This was supposed to be behind us."

"We'll leave as soon as we can. We'll answer whatever questions they have and then get on the next plane back to Seattle." Emmett assured, rubbing his wife's knuckles.

Seattle, Washington was the big city that they called home. It was far enough away to never have to see Forks again, and it was close enough for their family and friends to visit. Everyone else remained in Forks. It was hard to leave a place that you've called home for your entire life. For holidays and weekend visits, their family and friends would come to them. Rosalie and Emmett haven't been to their small town in almost two years.

"You think everyone has moved on?" Emmett asked, leading his wife through the small airport.

Rose laughed, "Of course not. You've read my book Emmett, even if I didn't call half of them out by name, they still wouldn't move on." She shrugs her shoulders, "I don't care though. I'm not back for their approval. I'm back to put this behind us."

"You're not freaking out," the two approached baggage claim, and waited for the conveyor to begin moving and offering up their luggage.

"I trust my parents. If they say don't worry, I shouldn't worry."

"They're not telling us what they're going to do," Emmett responded, worriedly, "They're keeping it a secret."

Rose brushed it off, "Sometimes secrets are kept for a reason."

Their suitcases appeared, and Emmett released his wife's hand in order to grab their belongings. She remained by their carryon bags as he pulled their luggage off of the conveyor belt. Emmett approached his wife, suitcases in hand, and nodded towards the exit, "Jasper sent a ride to come pick us up."

"Who?"

The two stepped out of the airport. For their time here, they would be staying with Rose's parents in her old bedroom.

"I'm not sure," Emmett spotted a man holding up a sign with their names on it, "He's over there. Come on," he waved his wife to follow him, "Hello, I'm Emmett," he points out his name on the sign, "and this is my wife Rosalie."

The driver lifted their bags and placed them gently into the trunk. Emmett opened the car door for his wife and allowed her to enter first. Rosalie buckled her seatbelt and sat back. It was going to take at least an hour to get to Forks. Emmett sat his hand upon her thigh, "We might as well relax."

"Who are you?" Rosalie questioned, leaning forward in her seat as the driver adjusted himself in the driver's seat, "I mean…do you live in Forks?"

"I'm Ron… and yeah I do live in Forks," He nods, as he pulls off.

She sat back and crossed her arms, "I'm so sorry for you."

"How long have you been living there?" Emmett asked, throwing his arm around his wife's shoulders. He brought her into his hold, and pecked a kiss against her forehead.

The driver thought to himself, as he merged into the next lane, "I moved me and my family here about a month ago."

"Your family?" Rose pushed on.

"Yeah, me, my wife Vera, and my two kids…a boy Henry and a girl Carmen. She'll be starting at the town's high school in the Fall. Henry will be starting college in the town over."

Rosalie looked at her husband, before turning back to the driver. She had time to fill, and getting to know Forks newest resident was the best way to fill it. Rose crossed one leg over the other, "You're probably getting tired of all of the questions. I'm Rose, and this is my husband Emmett. We were both born and raised in Forks. We moved away almost two years ago."

The driver glanced back at the couple, "I know all about you two."

"Okay, now I'm curious. What has the rumor mill been all about recently?"

"My wife and I read your book, and we had questions. The town just filled in the answers."

"I'm pretty sure I have a good idea about what they said," her arms crossed and she rolled her eyes, "What do you think?"

"My wife believes you."

That was all Ronald said. He said nothing afterwards as he drove along the highway. Rosalie knew what that meant…she could read between the lines. Vera may have believed in Rosalie's story, but Ron didn't. She pulled herself out of her husband's arms, "You know, despite popular belief, I am telling the truth."

"I mean…I thought about it," he shrugs his shoulders, "and your story doesn't add up. It makes no sense, and if it makes no sense, then it probably didn't happen."

Emmett immediately set his hand upon his wife's shoulder. He wanted to keep her calm, especially since they were in a moving vehicle.

"It's the truth! It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out the validity of it! It's unfortunate that you can't seem to think that hard."

"I'm not stupid."

"I didn't imply you were stupid, all I implied was you had bad luck when you tried to think."

"Hey," Emmett pulled her back into his arms, "try to calm down."

Rosalie wanted to listen to her husband, but the look Ronald gave her wouldn't allow it. She was angry. After all of her years of learning to ignore the naysayers, she allowed for some stranger to get a rise out of her.

"If I'm stupid, then you're a liar." He remarked, smirking to himself at his response.

"What was that?" She scoffed, rolling her eyes at his retort, "How about you go google a better comeback while I wait?"

"Everyone warned me about your return,"

Her head tilted, "And what did everyone say?"

"You seek attention, you're rude and you are the worst sinner of all. You are a sinner who refuses to see the wrong in her actions. You are a sinner who refuses to repent, and you are a sinner who feels that taking her own life is the best way to seek redemption. You are a sinner who does not deserve forgiveness." Ron increased the speed of the car, "I was advised to watch my back, and the only reason I agreed to pick you up today, was because Jasper paid me and I needed the money." He turned off on his exit, "You are a psychopath."

"You don't know me."

"You are a smartass."

"Thanks for that startling revelation."

Before she could get out another word, Emmett covered his wife's mouth with his hand. He pulled her back into his arms and held onto her tightly, "Hey, keep it cool." He could feel her breaths begin to lighten and ease up. She relaxed in his hold as he rubbed her back, "He wants you to stoop down to his level. He wants a rise out of you. He wants you to prove everyone in that town is right. Don't give him the pleasure." She felt her husband press another kiss against her head, before he released her.

Her orbs made eye contact with the driver, "My mother always told me to never start a fight, but you can bet your sweet ass that I sure as hell will finish one." Emmett tried to raise his hand to calm her, but she ignored it. Rose needed to stand her ground. How could she allow a guy, who had recently moved into her hometown, and has no idea who she is as a person, judge her? She worked too hard in the last few years to allow some random guy to tear her down and get the last laugh. She didn't grow up with Lillian and Aro as her parents for nothing. The apple truly did not fall far from the tree.

"You haven't been back to town; a lot has changed, people, opinions, a lot."

"Well good for them," she starts to clap her hands.

Emmett's curiosity was sparked, "How do you know? You just moved to town."

"I've been commuting to and from the town for at least a year before I moved my family down." They passed the Welcome to Forks sign, "There's a new mayor. He's not a local. He moved into town a few months before I did. He's nice once you get to know him."

"I hate when people say, he's nice once you get to know him," She relaxed against the seat. The tension in the car finally cooling off, "They might as well just say, he's an asshole, but you'll get used to it."

Ron turned to her with a smirk, "He doesn't believe your story either."

"I don't give a whoop-dee fucking do what he believes," She turns away from the driver and stares out of the window.

The car was currently driving down her old street. Things may have changed, but the appearance stayed the same. Everything looked exactly the same. It was as if she never even left. As the car slowed to a stop, she saw the source of her prolonged trip. A large crowd was assembled on the road in front of her house. Ron took a glance back at her, "It seems attention follows you everywhere you go." Most of the people were locals of the town, but she noticed a few reporters who must have travelled from Port Angeles.

"Hey, back off," Emmett asserted, taking a hold of his wife's hand, "Jasper paid you to give us a ride, not to nag us the whole way." Before Emmett could continue his avowal, he heard the door open, and Aro slide into the car.

"I tried to clear out the crowd before you got here," Aro admitted, as the car tried to inch forward through the horde of people, "Your mother is doing damage control."

"I should have just stayed in a hotel."

Aro looked between his daughter and son-in-law, "I thought you two would want to stay with us, considering what's going on right now."

"I haven't been here since my book was released."

Ron finally managed to pull into the Hales' driveway. He placed his vehicle in park, and sat forward and still. He knew about Aro, and he preferred to stay as distant from his as possible.

"No one will bother you," Aro assured, reaching for the door handle, however his daughter's grip of his arm, halted him.

"You obviously have not read my book. It was a tell-all," she reminded, taking a glance out of the window to see the hordes of people, "I talked about almost everyone. They won't be happy. I'll be shunned. I'll be hated."

Aro pushed open the door and took her hand, "Welcome to my world, they're never happy to see me either. We'll stick it out together."

Once Rose's foot stepped out of the car, questions immediately began to be shouted. She saw reporters that came from various news stations outside of Forks. Her town didn't have tv reporters. She spotted the familiar faces of people she hadn't seen in years.

"Did you know Royce Sr. was dead?"

"How come no one filed a missing person's report?"

"Isn't it a coincidence that he went missing around the time after your attack?"

She ignored the hounds of questions, as she walked the pathway to her house. Her father and husband grabbed the luggage out of the trunk, as her mother met her halfway to walk the remainder of the pathway with her.

"How come no evidence was found linking your stepfather to your attack?"

"Is it true that you already had a promiscuous reputation before the incident?"

"We talked with other town locals, and they had some pretty choice words for you, do you want to make a comment?"

Lillian's motherly instincts kicked in as she moved behind her daughter and pushed her forward. She shot a look at the photographers when the flash temporarily blinded her and her daughter's eye sight. "Get out of our way," Lillian ordered, continually pushing her daughter through the crowd, "Move or you will see a side of me that I reserve for my enemies!" The threat worked, as the mob of people cleared a pathway for the mother and daughter to walk through.

"I can never leave," Rose sighed, rushing into the house.

Lillian allowed for Emmett and Aro to come in before she closed the door, "They'll clear out."

Rosalie inhaled a sharp breath before looking over at the couch. Her brother sat upon it, staring down at the ground. He didn't speak or look up. She cautiously stepped towards him, "Jamesy."

"No," he stood up, and stormed out of the living room. Within seconds, they heard a door slam.

Lillian brushed it off when her daughter turned to look at her, "He's still trying to wrap his mind around it. He'll come around eventually."

"What if he doesn't?"

"He will," Aro assured, making his way towards the direction James stormed off towards, "I'll make sure of it."

"Dad, don't."

"I'm just going to talk to him." Aro assured, waving Emmett and Lillian over, "Lil, you should come, you're his mother. And Emmett, you're the killer, so come on."

"Dad!" Rose hollered, throwing her hands into the air.

The three disappeared from the living room, and Rose stood alone. She could see the reporters and townspeople still outside her house, waiting for something to happen, and before she could focus too hard on who was outside that she recognized, she heard the doorbell ring, "I got it!" she casually approached the door, and pulled it open, "Oh, it's you. You have to pardon me for the lack of enthusiasm. I was not expecting to see you. What do you want?"

"I can see things haven't changed. You're still the same rude, spoiled bitch you were years ago."

"Oh really, I'm a bitch?" Rosalie shrugs her shoulders at the insult, "well at least I'm known for what I do, not for who I screw. And by the way," Rose eyes Elizabeth's clothes, "nice outfit, did it come with a pole?"

The nurse was offended, but in order to not give Rosalie the satisfaction she ignored the insult and focused on the real reason she came. "I know you're going to be busy these next few days, so I figured we should speak before then," Elizabeth explained, making her way into the house, "I have to talk to you, about this," she raised Rose's book in the air before tossing it across the room, "What the hell is your problem?"

"All I did was speak the truth…what problem are you referring to?"

"Don't play dumb with me," Elizabeth rolled her eyes, and scoffed irritatingly, "When that trash came out, I had to do damage control. I lost my job because of that garbage! You know what, I'm glad you're back," she walked over and picked up the book, "because now you can see how it feels to have lies spread about you."

"So, what you're saying is, you're going to start spreading rumors about me again?" at the sound of Rose's question, Elizabeth shrugged her shoulders and smirked, "…hmm," Rose thought to herself, "well that's aright, at least you're spreading something other than your legs."

"You don't know who you're messing with," Elizabeth growled, ripping the pages out of Rose's published book, "I know people. I have connections. Things have changed around here. Unlike you, people actually like and want me," She retorted in anger. Not many people could get under Elizabeth's skin, but Rosalie definitely could.

"Oh please, stop acting like you're the shit because every guy seems to want you. You fail to remember that cheap items have many customers."

Elizabeth growled under her breath. When she had decided to come over, she planned out the entire conversation. Unfortunately, it did not go as planned. The former nurse tossed the scraps of paper, which once belonged inside of Rosalie's book, towards the blonde, "So what I have sex? So what I have a lot of it? And so what if it's not always with the same guy? You implied that I mess around with everyone I see!"

"Oh please, you'd freak a fly if it laid there long enough." Rose brushed the shredding of paper out of her hair, "And I don't care that you have sex. I don't just call people sluts for having sex, I mean, come on, I'm pretty sure my mother didn't draw me. And it's not that you have a lot of sex, it's the fact that you have a lot of sex with a lot of people, regardless of their marital status. I hate to break it to you Elizabeth, but a relationship should be between two people, but unfortunately whores like you don't know how to count." Rosalie walked over to the door and opened, "Now get out of my house."

Elizabeth said nothing. She simply made eye contact with Brady standing in the doorway. She nodded her head towards him as she left the house. Rosalie spotted the commissioner and sighed, "This day just gets worse and worse."

"I'm not here to argue," he steps into the house, and closes the door behind him, "I'm here because we need to come up with a plan."

 **-Tiffany.**


	3. One Lie, Two Lies, Three Lies, Four

Brady was seated in the living room of the Hales' home. He was in the center of the couch with his son and daughter-in-law seated around him. His eyes followed the pacing bare feet of Rosalie as her nervous form increased its movement. She was internally freaking out because she could lose a lot. Rosalie could lose her credibility, her lifestyle, her husband and possibly her freedom. She was an emotional wreck, and her feelings were amplified. Royce Sr. had his way when he was alive, and she'll be damned if he has any control over her life when he's dead.

"Mom," she quickened her pace, "Dad! Come on!" Rose could feel her heart threatening to beat out of her chest, and she had no control. She hated when control was out of her hands. The young blonde ran her hands up and down her bare arms as her pacing continually increased, "Mom! Dad! Please, come on! We've wasted enough time. I want to get this over with so me and my husband can return home. I've been in Forks long enough."

"Rose," Aro warned, entering the living room with Lillian closely behind, "you haven't even been here for a whole day yet."

"…like I said," she shrugs her shoulders, "I've been here long enough."

Aro took a seat in the arm chair positioned diagonal to the three seater couch. Lillian crossed her legs after taking a seat on the arm of Aro's chair, "Just because we agreed to work with you, doesn't mean we agree to forget everything you've done."

"What was the old motto, forgive and forget?"

Rosalie shook her head at the commissioner's words, as her pacing continued, "I'm capable of forgiving you, but that doesn't mean I forgot what you did."

"If she can forgive me, then why can't you?"

"I never said I forgive you, I said I'm capable of forgiving you." Rosalie's bare feet come to a halt. She stops and turns to face Brady, "Can we get this conversation started? I really want to put this behind us." Rose took a quick glance down at her cell to see if James responded to any of her texts. She had text him through the hours of her parents attempting to talk to him, but he never responded. She understood he needed time, but she just wished he would say something to her.

Emmett was seated on the floor, his back pressed against the wall beneath the windowsill. His knees were up, and his arms rested against his lap with his face pressed into the palms of his hands. His hands fell flat against his lap, "How are we going to fix this? It's out of our hands. Maybe Royce Jr. is right, maybe we should just come clean. Honesty is the best policy. We shouldn't lie. We've lied enough."

"Don't give up," Rosalie approached her husband. She lowered herself in order to become eye level with him, "You can't give up. That's not fair…to any of us. And don't think of it as lying; think of it as speaking verbal fiction."

Her hand sets itself upon his knee, and she stares into his brown eyes. Rose's heart went out to her husband. While her recovery wasn't the easiest road, her husband moving past it wasn't the best either. She was able to write about it and talk it out with a therapist; however Emmett could only talk to a limited amount of people about what he and Jasper did.

"I'm going to trust that you'll make sure that your husband keeps his trap shut."

"You don't have to worry about my husband," she rose to her feet, and turned to face the commissioner, "What do we do?"

"Before we do anything, I want to know how the body was discovered."

"What do you mean," Lillian slid off the arm of the chair, "What are you…what are you talking about? People found him on the side of the road."

"I dumped the body Lillian, and I didn't dump it on the side of the road."

Jasper took a glance at his wife before looking back at his father, "So are you saying someone found him and dumped him on the side of the road after five years?"

"I'm saying that someone snitched and tipped off the police." Brady looked around the room, "I want to know who did it because everyone that knew is here in the room."

Jasper helped pull Emmett to his feet, "Maybe it was Royce Jr. since he isn't here and he wanted to tell the police?"

"I don't want to trust any of you-"

Rosalie rolled her eyes, "And you think we want to trust you? We need to stop turning on each other because right now Royce Jr. is the problem."

"Your parents and I took care of that," Brady informed, rising from his seat on the couch.

Alice slowly rose from the couch as well, "He's not dead, is he?"

"No," Aro laughed, "I can see your imaginations are kicking in overdrive. He's fine. Brady just arrested him after he landed in Washington a few days ago."

"On what charges?" Jasper smirked, as he leaned up against the wall.

"We made some up, but the point is, he'll be in jail until Monday. It brought us some time. On my way here, I thought of a story," Brady stated, changing the conversation, "the day Royce Sr. died, we left the precinct in order to go to the mayor's office. By the time we got there, Royce Sr. was already gone. We just assumed he left town because you all found out the truth."

"I'm willing to say that, but how do we explain his once broken window?" Lillian wondered, shifting uncomfortably on her feet, "The cops in Port Angeles aren't like the ones here. They aren't stupid. Unlike you, there are good law enforcement officers out there who actually do their job. What if they question the broken glass? What about the bullets? What about the surveillance tapes of that day? Where is all of that stuff?"

"I took care of all of that."

Rose approached the commissioner, "You have to understand why we're a little nervous to hear that. You won't tell us anything."

"You have to trust me. We have to trust each other and whether we like it or not, we're in this together." Brady heard his cell, and after taking a quick glance at it, he rose to his feet, "Since the body was found, I've been a bit busy. I have a news conference in an hour that I'm supposed to prep for." He rushes over to the door, "And I promise, any questions involving you all I won't answer." The door slams shut behind him.

Aro's knuckles crack, "I don't trust him."

"None of us do." Lillian nods in agreement.

Rosalie disappears from the living room, and eases her way down the hallway. She gently pushed open the guest bedroom door of her brother. He and Victoria had moved outside of the state of Washington in order to escape the compelling pressures of the small-town, the judgmental attitudes, and the constant reminder of living in a town that shunned his sister for speaking the truth. Since hearing the truth, he chose to return with Aro and his mother, and therefore he chose to stay in the guestroom. She poked her head into the dark room, and saw her brother sitting on his bed, "Are you up for company?"

"Rose, just go."

"No," she entered his room and closed the door behind her, "When I wanted to be alone, you didn't leave. And now I'm not leaving you." Rose approached, and took a seat beside him, "I text you like five hundred times."

James shrugs, "I know."

"You saw them?"

"Yeah," he nods.

Rose sighed to herself and sat forward. She intertwined her fingers and stared straight, "I didn't text you just to exercise my fingers. I was expecting a response."

"Well here's my response," he growled, turning his sister to face him, "You all lied to me, your husband killed someone and you all covered it up. You came and saw that Emmett killed someone and then decided to cover it up and pretend it didn't happen!"

"He was protecting me!"

"You weren't in any danger," James rose to his feet, "You should have handled it by the books. You should have turned him in. You should have allowed the justice system to come through."

She rose to her feet, "It wouldn't have worked!"

"You didn't give it a chance!"

Growing up with a sibling is always a battle. It was nothing new that the two always argued. It came with having a sibling. However, the two never argued with such passion. James was emotionally angry. His rage pushed him to cry, although his pride pushed the tears away. He was just so heated, and arguing with his sister fumed him even more.  
"You weren't there! You didn't hear him tell me what he did to me! You didn't see the pathetic look on his face," Rosalie stood, face to face with her brother, "James, please, just calm down and think for a minute. You and I both know that he would be free. Emmett is a good man."

"He's a murderer. He's a monster!"

"Shut up!" Her high-pitched voice stung his ears, "Shut up! Don't call him that! He is none of those things, so just SHUT UP! I wish for one second you would just stop acting like the town we grew up in. For a guy who hates this town and these people just as much as I do, you sure have a way of acting like them."

"You did nothing wrong Rose, in order to protect yourself, you need to just give him up."

"No," her head shook rapidly, refusing to allow him to continue, "I'm not giving up my husband! He never gave up on me. He was there when I needed him, and now I'm here for him. I won't allow you to come in between that."

"You need to think about yourself. You need to put yourself first!"

Rosalie crossed her arms, "I'm really trying to be respectful because you're my brother, but this needs to stop. I'm not going to allow you to make Emmett look like the bad guy. Yes, he did it. No, I don't regret. Am I a monster for that too?"

"Why do you have to be such a smartass?"

"Considering who my parents are, it's a given." She shrugs.

"You don't even feel sympathetic for the guy?"

"What?" She takes a hard look at her brother, "Do I feel sympathy for the guy that raped and beat me near death? What do you want? You want me to say sorry? Half of the time people don't mean sorry. Sorry is just a word that people say to get out of bad situations."

James approached her, and unraveled her arms. He took a grip of her shoulders, and forced eye contact, "I don't know who you are anymore. You're a stranger."

"Better a stranger than a corpse." She pulled herself from his grip.

"Get back here!" He shouted at the sight of her beginning to leave his room.

She turned around quickly, "Why? You want to yell at me and tell me how much of a bad person I am? I've heard that enough from you and everyone in this freaking town."

"I expect that from Aro, maybe even mom, but you Rose? No, you're not like that."

"I am a product of my parents and of the experiences I've been through. When your mom's husband rapes, beats you into a coma and dumps your body then you can come and judge me and my decisions…until then, shut the hell up about it."

"Don't talk to me like that! I'm still your brother!"

"Then act like it!"

"I'm just trying to protect you!"

"By giving up my husband?!"

"He's NOT my sister!"

The two were face to face, inches apart. Their voices grew in volume and intensity as they shouted back and forth. Their shouts continued on and on even when Lillian bust into the guest bedroom. Her face confused as she examined the chaotic scene. Her children continued to shout, forcing her to race over and step between them, "Hey! Hey! Calm down!"

"Tell that to your condemnatory son!" Rose backed away, when her mother turned to face her with a stern look. The young adult inhaled a deep breath and noticed her father walking into the room, closing the door behind him, "I didn't start this dad. James did."

"I know," he wraps his arm around her shoulders.

"What is going on?" Lillian took a glance at James.

"Why are you asking him?!" Rosalie shouted, throwing her hands into the air, "I can tell you what happened."

"Aro please take her out of the room."

Rose served a hard glare in the direction of her mother and brother. She watched as Lillian pulled James into her arms to hug him. Rose could be harsh sometimes. It was one of her downfalls, but she was such an emotional person. Her heart was worn on her sleeve. Aro exited the room with his daughter, and closed the door behind him, "Let me guess, James didn't come around for you either."

"Why is he acting like that?"

"Because he's ignorant," Aro growled, pressing a kiss to his daughter's forehead, "And right now he's untrustworthy. Your mother tried to convince me that he wouldn't say a word, but I don't trust him quite yet. The way he's acting is shaky…and my first concern is guaranteeing your safety. I won't allow anyone, including your brother to interfere with that."

Rose felt her arms surround her father. Her face was buried into his shirt, and she calmed her angered breathing. Her hands were shaky as she tried to calm herself, and the comforting feel of his hand patting her back did just that. If there's anyone's word she'll take, it's her father's. Aro stared a harsh glare into the closed door of the guest bedroom. He admired James. He respected him. James was always like a son to him; however, he wasn't his son. Aro had a daughter to protect, and he wasn't going to allow James' sudden morals to jeopardize that.

At the sound of a knock beating against the front door, Rosalie pulled out of her father's hold. She passed her husband, Jasper and Alice in her quest to the door. The banging against the door grew in strength and volume as Rose noticed the wooden door shaking against the hinges. She took a glance back, "Someone has obviously lost their minds." Aro approached slowly. He didn't want his daughter answering the door with no one near her.

Rose swings the door open, "Hello?" And her confusion is reinforced by the older woman standing in the doorway. The woman's peppered gray hair is tied into a loose bun atop her head. Rosalie stares at the woman and eyes her older form, "Who are you?"

"Hi," the woman smiles before looking over Rose's shoulder, "Hi Aro."

"What…what is this? What are you doing here?"

As Aro approached the front door, he ushered the woman into the house. Rose closed the door swiftly as she stood among her confused husband and friends, "Dad, who is this?"

"…my mother."

 **-Tiffany.**


	4. Hear Me Out

"You should just leave!"

"Hear me out!"

"It's a little too late for that!"

"Honey-"

"Don't call me that!"

"Aro, just let me help! Let me explain!"

"I haven't seen you in twenty years! You had plenty of opportunities to explain yourself!"

"I'm sorry!"

"I don't give a shit!"

"I'm your mother!"

"No, you're a mental, mendacious, conniving, deadbeat slut and my life has been so much better without you in it. Good riddance, and go fuck up someone else's life now."

Maggie, Aro's mother silenced herself after her middle son's last words. She glanced around the room and noticed the awkward tension rising in it. Rosalie, Jasper, Alice and Emmett stood in bewilderment and confusion. Maggie scratched at the back of her peppered gray hair, "Aro," her voice sounded broken, "I know it's probably too late to say sorry, but-"

"It's never too late to say sorry," he interrupted, struggling to preserve his calming breaths, "it's just too late to be forgiven."

"I always wanted to come back. I just couldn't find the right time to, and then I saw the news. I can help. Let me help," she looked over at her adult granddaughter, "Let me help both of you."

Aro shook his head, "You see, trust is like an eraser, the more you screw up the smaller it gets, and right now, I don't trust you at all."

The desperate look on Maggie's face fell, and sadness and regret took its place. She kept her distance from her son, but the stubbornness in her, refused to have her back down.

"Maggie," she heard a familiar voice call out her name.

The older Hale looked over her son's shoulder and spotted Lillian. She hadn't seen the woman in twenty years, and Lillian truly looked radiant, "Lillian…hi." She waved at the approaching lady.

"What is going on?" Lillian looked between Aro and Maggie, "What brings you here?"

"I saw the news. I'm sorry about your husband. How are you feeling?"

Lillian shrugs, and takes a glance back at her daughter, "Considering…you know, everything he's done, the grieving process has been easy."

Maggie used the back of her hands to wipe at her eyes. She followed Lillian's line of sight as it landed on Rosalie. She maneuvered passed Lillian as she approached her grown granddaughter, "Wow, look at you," Maggie set her hands upon Rose's shoulders, "I know you don't remember me. The last time I saw you, you were two. I'm your grandmother. I'm Maggie."

Before Rosalie had the chance to respond to her grandmother, Aro quickly crossed the living room. The angered scowl on his face strengthened his facial muscles as he tore his daughter from his mother's hold, "Don't you dare look at her. Don't speak to her. Don't think about her. Don't touch her. Don't come anywhere near her."

"She's an adult Aro. She can make her own decisions."

Aro's eyes widened in shock, "Maggie, you're really making it difficult to maintain my no more murder streak." His fists were clenched at his side; however his mother didn't look fazed.

"Won't you just beat me to death like you did your own father?" Her arms crossed.

"Don't tempt me."

Rosalie remained silent alongside her husband and friends. She didn't know what to say. She never knew whatever had come of her paternal grandmother. Her father never spoke of her. He held no pictures of her. She didn't even know what the woman looked like until today. Rose released her husband's hand and chose to step between her father and grandmother, "Shut up! Everyone just…be quiet for a second! Maybe we all should just ease up a bit."

"I agree, but your father seems to have an attitude."

"I don't have an attitude. I just have enough backbone to tell you that everything you say is full of shit."

"Aro, you have an attitude problem that you need to adjust."

"I don't have an attitude problem!" His strong voice erupted, "You have a problem with my attitude! And I think that's your problem…not mine."

Maggie pressed her fingers against her temples, "Aro, I said I was sorry."

"I barely survived not being able to see my daughter every day, yet you went decades without seeing me and my brothers. How could you call yourself a parent?" Aro started as his eyes raged in angered passion, "You walked out on me when I was six, and you came back twenty years later. I FORGAVE YOU, but then you walked out AGAIN! You're incapable of sticking around. It's no point in me letting my guard down when you're just going to do it again. You can deny it all you want, but it's the truth."

Aro felt a soft hand slide into his, and when he looked to see who it belonged to, he saw the sympathetic eyes of Lillian. She held his hand as tightly as she could and pulled him in the direction of their bedroom.

"I don't want to leave her out here."

Lillian continued to pull Aro, "Rose can take anyone in a verbal showdown. We don't have to worry about her…at least not when it comes to this."

The oldest Hale heard her words and believed them. Rose could definitely take anyone verbally. She was quick-witted and wise with her words. His mother wouldn't be able to tear her down like she was able to with him. Maggie could pinpoint someone's weakness and pry upon it.

"Why did you pull me away?" He noticed Lillian close the door behind them.

"I just figured you needed a breather. I saw the look in your eyes Aro. You were ready to snap. I had to get you out of there before you did."

His arms appreciatively wrapped around her and he pulled her in close. Her chin rested upon his shoulder as his relaxed against the top of her head.

The silent atmosphere filling up the living room soon filled with awkwardness. No one knew what to say. Maggie's eyes relaxed upon her granddaughter as she stepped towards her, "Rosalie, you are definitely a sight for sore eyes. And is this your husband, wow, he's definitely-"

"What are you doing?" Rose interrupted her grandmother's compliment.

"What do you mean?"

"Why are you here?" She pulled her hand free from her husband's grasp, "You can obviously see you're getting to my father…your son. Are you here to get a reaction out of him? Because if you are Maggie, I swear to everyone within the vicinity of my voice, that I won't allow that to happen. I'll step in way before it gets to that point. So what? What do you want? Why are you here? Why come back now?"

Maggie closed the distance between she and the twenty-two year old, "I came back because we're family. We need each other. I didn't know about your attack because it didn't leave Forks, but Royce Sr.'s death is national news. I'm not here to cause problems. I'm here to help."

"You want to help?" Maggie nods to answer Rose's question, "…then leave. I don't mean to be rude, but your presence is doing more harm than good. I haven't seen my father like that in years. And I know his childhood vaguely, but I do know enough to know that you aren't wanted here by him, and if you aren't wanted by him, then you aren't wanted by me."

Maggie said nothing in reply. She simply stepped back, and took a seat on the couch. She had no intentions of leaving until her family heard her out. At the sound of a door slamming, she piped up, but the stomping feet and sudden arrival of a slightly familiar face, she knew it wasn't Aro.

"I tried to get passed it, but I couldn't. The cops need to know the truth. This is wrong…on so many levels. Emmett and Jasper committed a crime, not you and Alice." James raced up to his sister and ignored the warning look she gave him. She gestured for him to be quiet, but he overlooked it as he continued, "I don't care if you're mad at me, but I stand by what I'm saying. You can try to shush me all you want, but it won't change where I stand. Emmett and Jasper deserve to pay for what they did to Royce Sr."

"What did they do to Royce Sr.?" The smirk on Maggie's face stretched as she rose from the couch, "Let me guess," she sets her hands upon her hips, "…is it a little something called retribution? Is that why none of you want my help? Are we covering up a little felony called murder?" Maggie stared into the familiar eyes of her granddaughter, "Don't panic Rosalie. I told you I'm here to help, regardless of the extenuating circumstances involving it." She set her hand against her granddaughter's shoulder, "I know Aro is no saint, i.e. my deceased husband, but I'm no saint either. I want to help."

"Why?"

"Because we're family," she urged believably, "and I'm willing to do anything to redeem myself with both you and my sons. I don't care who I have to screw over to do it. I have missed time to make up for, and what best time to start than the present."

Before Rosalie could respond to her grandmother, she turned her full attention towards her brother. How dare he storm in here and demand things? She was trying really hard to keep things civil with James, but he was making it hard for her. Rose's eyes squint as she shoves James back, "What is your problem? Have you lost your mind? You can't just come out here blaring stuff like that! Anyone could have been here James! And I know you want to look all big and mighty sitting atop that high horse of yours, but you're not perfect. I'm pretty sure you have some unwanted skeletons in your closet."

James stood in shock. He hadn't seen Maggie when he stormed into the living room. When he came in, his eyes spotted Rosalie, and he stormed towards her, ignoring anyone else in the area. James had no desire in speaking to anyone else, however at the sight of the newly arrived face, his curiosity was sparked, which made him question, "Who is this?"

"Hi, I'm Maggie. I'm Aro's mother." She extends her hand and smiles.

"Wow," he shakes her offered hand, "we finally get to meet the woman who bred," Aro reenters the living room, "that."

"Who are you?"

"James," he pulls his hand away, "Lillian's son…Rose's brother."

"I remember you," she nods, smiling.

"What's going on out here?"

"Maggie knows," Rose answered her father, "Maggie knows what Emmett and Jasper did to Royce Sr.…James accidentally let it spill."

"Accidentally, huh?" Aro eyed his daughter's brother.

James wasn't like the others in this town. He didn't fear Aro. He wasn't afraid to say what was needed. He wasn't scared of Aro or what he could potentially do because at the end of the day, they both wanted the same thing; Rose to be safe. Their means of getting it was just different.

"I won't say anything," Maggie asserted, holding eye contact with her son. The eyes of his mother resembled his own and it felt as if he was looking straight into a mirror.

"You think because you gave me your word that I'll believe it? You gave me your word my entire life…or at least the years you've been in it." His voice changed in order to mock the tone of his mother, "I'll take you with me. I promise I'll be back. I'm coming back for you. He won't hurt you." He chuckles, "Want to know my favorite? You won't be with him long. I'm curious to know your definition of long because after you left, I was stuck living with him for thirteen more years before I was able to move out. Caius had it longer."

"I'm sorry honey, but I'm back now and I can help!" Her strained words pleaded as she reached out for his hand.

He immediately pulled away, "How? How can you possibly help?"

In response, Maggie raises her left hand shakily. Aro rolls his eyes in irritation before examining her wrinkled hand. Her nails were finely polished and on her ring finger rested a gold wedding band.

"Mom, what the hell did you do?"

"I got married," she grinned, twirling the band around her finger, "…and it wasn't because of this situation, but this'll work. I can use my marriage-"

"How are you going to use your marriage to help us?"

Maggie glanced over at Lillian and smiled, "…because Lil, I'm married to one of the detectives in Port Angeles who is in charge of working this case. Just hear me out. I can work an angle here. And I know you don't want to admit it, but you need me. Let me help. Let me prove myself. Let me show you that I'm worth trusting."

"You're willing to betray your husband for us?"

Maggie shakes her head, "I don't look at it as betraying. He won't know. He doesn't know our relation to one another. I can…I can use that to my advantage."

"Maggie," Aro approached his mother, and stared down at the petite woman, "I'm going to trust you, but if you so much as think about screwing us over, the fact that you're my mother, won't stop what I'll do to you."

 **-Tiffany.**


	5. It Was A Plan

Rosalie had already found herself struggling to fall asleep, and after a few hours of tossing and turning, her body had finally given in. However, the moment her husband fell into a deep sleep, the sound of loud snoring drew her from her already complicated slumber. Rose sat up, and shoved her husband's shoulder, "You're snoring." She closes her eyes. And when the sound of his snoring increases in volume, she grabs her pillow and shoves it against her ear. It was her attempt in trying to drown out his snoring, but it didn't work.

In her second attempt to silence his snores, she rolls over to face him. Her hand taps against his face, "Emmett, you're loud. I can't sleep." Usually his snores weren't a problem, but with the constant worry, the guilt and the vivid nightmares, any little sound kept her up. As her hand taps against his face, his eyes draw open. He glares at her, rolls over to face the opposite way, and falls back asleep. She rolls her eyes, "Jerk." Rosalie sits up, pulls the covers off of her body and gets up from the bed. She was going to get no sleep, and because of that, she changed her clothes and left her room. The silence in the house reminded her that everyone was comfortably sleeping. Sleep seemed to have come easy for her parents, husband and brother. She heard no sound from them.

Rosalie spotted Aro's car keys, and in her desire to get out of the house, she grabbed them. She couldn't sleep and she was hungry. A lot has changed in the town, and hopefully one of the things included in the change was a bar that stayed open pass two in the morning. As Rosalie drove along the street, the lights of a police cruiser flashed behind her. She glanced at the speedometer and sighed, "Ugh." Her head pressed against the steering wheel after pulling over to a complete stop. The twenty-two year old rolled down her window as the officer approached her vehicle, "Do you know how fast you were going?"

"Obviously not fast enough, I really hope you didn't pull me over to ask me that stupid question." She clearly wasn't in the best of moods. Rose just wanted the officer to write her a ticket and then move on his way. The young adult turned to face him, "Charlie," she smiled, sighing stressfully, "How are you?"

"Oh no Rosalie, you're not getting out of this ticket." He pulls out his ticket pad, and begins scribbling along it.

Rose didn't attempt to argue the ticket. She handed him her license, reached into the glove compartment for the car's registration and then waited patiently for him to go back to his cop cruiser and return with her printed ticket. She was in no surprise. At the rate her week was going, this was just icing on the cake. Two days ago, she came into town. On that same day, Elizabeth, Brady and apparently her father's mother paid them all a visit. The next day, the Port Angeles police made a phone call and they set up a time to visit in order to ask questions about Robert Sr.'s case. After the second day, Rosalie's nerves grew. Everything seemed even more real. While her parents tried to relax her, she was in no mood to be calmed down and patronized, and therefore those anxieties plagued her at night and caused for her to get no sleep at all.

Her luck soon began to shift for the better at the sight of a corner bar. It must have been new because it definitely wasn't here before she left. Rosalie parallel parked against the side of the street, hopped out of the vehicle, closed and locked the door behind her as the pep in her step moved her closer to the bar. The young blonde pushed open the door and recognized every face inside of the establishment. Ignoring the judgmental looks and the whispered comments, she made her way to an empty barstool, "I need something strong."

Jacob grinned, "I see you're stressed." He began preparing her a drink, "You know alcohol is never the solution."

"Chemically speaking it is."

Jacob chuckled as he finished up her drink. He placed the bright blue liquid in front of her and smiled, "It's a little drink I created myself." And that's all she wrote. With the nod of her head, she lifted the glass and chugged down half of the glass. The drink was too powerful to drink it all in one gulp, "Wow." She slammed the glass down, "What's in that?"

"I can't tell you," he grabbed a rag and began wiping at the countertop, "so, what brings you here at," he takes a quick look at his watch, "almost three in the morning?"

"Is it considered murder or a crime of passion if you whisper I love you before holding a pillow over the husband's face whose snoring is keeping you up at night?"

Jacob laughed loudly, earning curious glances from the patrons in his bar. He waved their attention away as he focused back on Rosalie, "I'm no lawyer, but I'd say it has to be murder." The bartender tosses the rag over his shoulder and leans on his forearms, "I heard about what's going on. If you're freaked about that, just… you know…tell the truth. What's that saying? The truth shall set you free."

"It'll set me free or put me in jail," she lifts her glass and raises it into the air, "you know whatever." Rose sips her drink slowly, and side eyes the looks she received around the bar, "Hey, I want to order some food," she reaches for a bar menu, "I want," her eyes scan the options, "oh, this all looks good. I want an order of the buffalo wings, chicken tenders and a side of mozzarella cheese sticks."

"Wow, I thought someone like you would have ordered the Caesar salad."

"I didn't climb to the top of the food chain to be a vegetarian." She handed him the menu.

Since her attack years ago, she and Jacob had allowed bygones to be bygones. She had enough enemies, and when he came to her with an apology, she quickly forgave him. The two hugged it out, jokingly bickered and agreed to keep in contact. She and Jacob had kept in touch while she's been away, and now that she was back, it was due time that they saw each other. She just didn't expect to see him here. Rose has truly been gone for far too long.

"Where are you going?"

"I let my cook off early. I'm heading into the back to make your food."

Rose glanced around the bar, "Don't leave me out here…alone."

"You'll be fine," he waved her off before walking through the double-doors leading to the back.

Rosalie grabbed the straw from her drink and mindlessly stirred her beverage. Her eyes remained focused on the bright blue liquid, and she only drew her eyes away when she felt someone take a seat beside her. She glanced up through her lashes and saw the familiar face of her old best friend, "Bella," Rose positioned her body to face her, "and here I thought my day was finally going to get better. What do you want?"

"…to buy you a drink."

The twenty-two year old couldn't help but smirk as her former best friend waved over another bartender. She gave the woman a drink order, as Rose focused on finishing the remainder of her first beverage, "A drink won't fix things."

"It's a start."

"Save your money Bella. I have no interest in repairing our friendship."

"Rose-"

"I don't hate you, I simply feel sorry for you because you don't have any friends." Rosalie turned in her seat to face the slightly older –by a few months- brunette, "You already know my opinion, and the fact that you even think whatever this is you're trying to do is going to work is just sad."

Bella rose from her barstool, "Forget I was even here."

"Already did."

The former Bella would have cowered back and walked away. She was just about to do that, but this was her opportunity to get some things off her chest. So instead of walking away with her head hung low, she approached the blonde woman, "I thought you were different, but it turns out you're just like the rest of them."

"I use to care what you all thought of me, and then I remembered what I thought about all of you." Rosalie watched as Bella moved in closer and took a hold of her previously occupied seat.

"You're just like everyone here. You are judgmental and you lack the ability to forgive. I apologized enough. It's been five years. And unlike most of us, you had the chance of getting away. I understand if you don't want to forgive your attackers, but me Rose…we were friends, and I made one mistake."

"You see this cup?" Rose pointed down to her empty glass, "It's my cup of care…and it's empty. So, do me a favor and shut up."

Regardless of how Rosalie truly felt about anything, she always covered it with a mask of sarcasm. It was her defense mechanism. Bella may have been her friend, but that never stopped her from destroying evidence. She was partially to blame for all of this. Bella snatched up the empty cup and handed it over to the bartender, "Can we be serious for a second?"

"I am being serious."

"And you wonder why everyone calls you a bitch."

"I find it hilarious when you and several other people call me a bitch and think it's supposed to offend me. Why would it? I'm not in denial."

"Before your attack you were harsh, but you were never this harsh." Bella grabbed her extra glass of alcohol and placed it in front of Rosalie, "I understand that it changed you, but you shouldn't let it affect the people who are of no threat to you. I get that when you get defensive, it's your way of protecting yourself, but not everyone is out to get you."

"Bella, I really don't feel like having a mock therapy session with you in a bar at three in the morning." The smile on Rose's face grew at the sight of Jacob's arrival. In his hand was a tray with three dishes upon it, "If you don't mind, I'm about to eat."

"Rose-"

"Listen, if I wanted to talk things out with someone, you would be one of the last people. We will never be what we used to be. Don't you get that? And I don't care how upset you get. If you don't like me, just hope in line with the other assholes waiting on me to give a shit. Now, if you don't mind, I actually came here to destress, and your presence is not helping."

Bella got the hint. She gave Jacob a small smile, before turning on her heel and walking back to her seat. She originally came to the restaurant with her visiting college friend, Renesme.

Jacob placed each serving down in front of her. Rose grabbed a napkin and laid it across her lap. She was ready to dig in. Her hands rubbed together, "This smells divine."

He laughed as he took her empty glass, "Hey Rose, maybe you should cut Bella some slack."

"You had me at hey, and then you just had to keep talking." She picked up a mozzarella stick and carefully blew it. She had no desire of burning her mouth today.

"I'm serious," Jacob starts wiping at the counters, "you haven't been here in five years. A lot has changed…including people. She's really trying."

Rose glanced at the brunette from over her shoulder, "…well, maybe she should try harder. Now can I please enjoy my meal?" He simply raised his hands and backed away.

Rosalie turned to her meal and began digging into it. Over the last two days, she had to eat the food her mother bought and cooked. Since her father was diagnosed with high blood pressure, Lillian had started preparing healthier meals. Rose missed the occasional fatty foods, and now was the perfect time for her to binge into them.

"I was wondering when we were going to run into each other."

"I'm sorry," Rose set down her wing and lifted up a napkin to wipe her hands, "who are you?"

"Jared," he extends his hand towards her, "Jared Cameron. I'm the mayor of this lovely town."

"What is with everyone being up at such an ungodly hour? It's three in the morning for Christ sakes. Doesn't anyone sleep around here anymore?"

Jared chuckled as he comfortably sat in Bella's previously occupied seat. He watched as Rosalie turned back to her meal and dug in. She didn't mean to come off as rude. It was late and she was hungry. When she lived in the town everyone basically went to sleep around the same time. And now with the opening of this bar, she could tell that that was no longer the way of life.

"I've been looking forward to meeting you. You definitely have a reputation around these parts."

She sighs, and pushes her empty plate away from her, "Please, Mr. Cameron, I feel like every conversation I have in this town turns to an argument. I don't want to argue with you."

"And we don't have to," Jared lowered his voice, "This town was your home, and now it's mine. I know we both want the same thing Rosalie, for you to be gone while at the same time to get justice for the former mayor and in order for that to happen, we'll have to work together. Whatever you need to help the detectives move this investigation along, just find me. Do not hesitate to ask." The mayor rose from his seat, "It's been a long day. I should be heading home. I'm glad we finally got to chat. Tell your father I said hello."

Rose raised her glass as he departed from the bar. She brought the beverage to her lips and sipped the hard substance. She has to get used to meeting new people. It was weird to see different individuals in her hometown. It was something she definitely was not accustomed to. This was all getting out of hand. This was supposed to be simple. It had to be full proof. The young blonde pushed herself off of the stool, and it took a few seconds for her to maintain balance, "Ok Rose," she muttered to herself, "you definitely cannot drive." She wasn't drunk, but she knew for a fact she was over the legal limit.

"Bella," she spotted the brunette, and Bella's excitement drew her to her feet.

"Hey Rose," she quickly approached the blonde.

"You want to try and redeem yourself?" Rosalie waved at Jacob as she reached for Bella's wrist. She led her former friend towards the exit of the bar. Bella waved at Renesme as she departed, "I need a ride, and I'm too intoxicated to drive myself."

Once Bella received directions, she led Rosalie to her car. It was approaching five in the morning and unfortunately for Rose, she was not going to be getting any sleep. She had too much on her mind. Rosalie hopped into the passenger seat and buckled her seatbelt as Bella pulled off.

"So…"

"Just because there's awkward silence doesn't mean you have to fill it."

"Rose-"

"Alright," Rosalie adjusted herself comfortably in the seat, "fine. What could you possibly want to talk about?"

"What have you been up to?"

Rose smiled, "I wrote a book."

"I know," Bella nods along slowly, "I read it."

"What did you think?"

"You were brutally honest. Besides the part where you describe me and my mother as a selfish, impulsive, deceitful, cowardly, sycophant, the rest was actually enlightening. I will admit. The first time I read your book, it pissed me off."

"What part? The fact that what I said was insulting about you or the fact that you know it's true?"

"Both," Bella answered in a low whisper. She pulled up to the curve, and waved as Rose stepped out of the car, "Thanks for letting me take you."

"No Bella, thank you," Rosalie gently closed the door.

She watched as Bella pulled off before turning on her heel. Rose was here for one reason. She had to get a few things set straight before everything that was planned goes down the drain. This was supposed to be a simple plan, but it didn't work out that way…at least it didn't yet. She trusted that he would see this through because if he didn't, her husband may pay the ultimate price. Rosalie approached the white door and began knocking against the frame, "Who is it?" She heard a voice squeak out, "It's me."

Rose stepped back as she heard the locks unlock. Within seconds, the door slowly opened and she was met with the face of her confused friend, "Jasper." She pushed her way inside.

"What are you doing here? It's five in the morning."

"I couldn't sleep. We have to talk."

"About what?"

"The plan," she exclaimed, making sure to keep her voice low, "Where's Alice?"

"She's at work. She works the late shift."

"Good," Rosalie nodded in relief as she took a seat on the couch, "What are we going to do? I've been putting on an act long enough. I can't anymore…not until I know the next step."

"You let me take care of it."

"You have to keep me informed. I'm mentally going crazy not knowing what's happening. You dug up Royce Sr.'s body and dropped it on a main road, everyone thinks it was Royce Jr. who did it, but we know the truth. This plan isn't looking good Jasper. We're supposed to be in this together…that means I stay in the loop."

"What loop? The only people who know are me and you. And I'm keeping the rest of the plan to myself because, look at you," he looks her up and down, "you're freaking out, and the only thing you know is that we conspired for me to take Royce Sr.'s body and dump him at a location where we know someone would find him. Let me take care of the rest."

Tears simmered within Rose's orbs. She raised her hand to cover her mouth, "Why did I decide to do this?" Her mouth slowly shook open and closed, "We're going to get caught and no one will forgive me. Why did I think this will work? Why did you go along with the plan?"

"Hey, hey, just relax," he set his hands upon her shoulders, "you go home, act normal, and don't worry about anything. I have this all figured out."

She wipes her eyes, "You better not screw this up. I won't be able to live with myself if this doesn't go as planned."

"I promise," he smiles and holds up his pinky, "Now where did you park? You deserve at least a few hours of sleep. I'll walk you to your car."

"I didn't drive. I got dropped off by Bella because I've been drinking. I thought it would help suppress the guilt, but it just amplified it."

"Bella?" Jasper's ears stopped listening at the mention of their former friend.

Rose shakes her head, "I don't feel like going into any explanations. Can you take me home?"

Jasper chuckles, as he disappears to grab his shoes and keys, "Do your parents and husband know you left?"

He needed to get ready for work anyway. He'll just be a little early today. It'll give him time to come up with the next step.

"No."

"Reverting back to your old ways huh Rose," Jasper walked out of his bedroom, keys in hand and shoes on his feet, "sneaking out of the house."

"I'm not a child anymore."

"no, but your Aro's child." Jasper corrected, "He's a parent like no other, and if he finds out you left, he's going to be pissed. Remember a few months before your attack you snuck out to meet with me, Emmett and Alice."

She followed him out of the door, "He only found out because my mother called him to see if I went over to his place."

"That's not the point I'm trying to make," he unlocked his car doors from a distance, "He yelled at you, which was weird, because Aro doesn't yell at you. He yells at everyone but you. And technically, I don't know if I even want to call that a yell…his voice wasn't even that loud, not compared to how he talks to everyone else."

Rose shrugged it off, "He was just freaked out. No one, besides you, Em and Alice knew where I was…he apologized for it later," she smirks, "and then he yelled at you, Alice and Emmett."

Seconds of silence followed as they separated in order to slide into their seats. Once the car doors closed, he continued, "Seriously though, what wrong could you possibly do that would make him yell at you the way he yells at everyone else?"

"If he finds out about what we did," her head hung low as the sunrise began to shed light on their small town, "If he finds out that I convinced you to retrieve Royce Sr.'s body and dump him in plain sight."

Jasper started up his car, "And even then, he'll probably blame me. You're the apple of your father's eye Rose. You could literally kill him, his brothers, your mom, and your brother and he'll convince himself and everyone else that you either didn't do it, or you did it for a good reason. Aro has no problem throwing someone else under the bus if it means saving you. So relax, if this plan screws anyone over…it'll probably be me."

 **-Tiffany.**


	6. The Third Degree

Rosalie quietly tiptoed into the house, only to abruptly stop, at the sight of her father fuming angrily in front of the fireplace. Aro was definitely not happy, and when he turned to face her, the angered scowl on his face disappeared and a look of relief took over. He dropped his cell phone, as he approached her, "Where the hell have you been?" He grabs her shoulders and forces her to make eye contact with him, "Your mother, James and Emmett have all been out looking for you. I stayed here just in case you came back, and it drove me crazy not being out there looking for you. Where were you Rose?"

"I'm sorry," her voice broke. She didn't mean to worry them. When she left the house, it was just to clear her head…she had no intention of causing trouble.

Aro drops his hands, "You're sorry? I was worried! With all of this madness going on, to wake up and find you gone…I just-"

"Dad, you don't need to freak."

"I'm Aro, freaking out is a part of my personality."

She stepped away from her father, "I'm an adult! I'm not a little girl anymore. Stop hovering."

Aro watched as his daughter turned away from him. She was upset with him, but she was the one who had him worried. Any parent would be concerned about their child, regardless of the age. And for a town this corrupt, and a daughter who has already fell victim to it, he has every reason and cause to hover and worry.

"You're asking for the impossible."

"Dad just…just quit it!" She turned to face him sharply. Her eyes mirroring his when he's enraged, "I'm not in the mood. I'm not up for being lectured…so please just give it a rest."

"I'll give it a rest when you tell me where you were and why you were there."

She shakes her head, "this isn't a compromise."

"Tell me the truth," he steps towards her, and takes a gentle hold of her upper arm, "Something is obviously bothering you. I'm your father…I can see you're upset about something."

"Yeah," she pulled out of his hold, "you constantly pestering me."

Her father chuckles, "Nice try. I saw through the window you getting out of Jasper's car. Is that where you went?" Aro pulls her towards the couch, and the two took a seat, "Was Alice there?" At the shaking of her head, he looks into her familiar eyes, "Rose, you can tell me why you went over to Jasper's place. I'm the last person to judge you. Are you and Jasper-"

"Dad, ew, no. He's like a brother to me." She immediately nips his thought in the bud.

"You leave early in the morning and Jasper is the one who brings you home. What did you expect me to think? What do you think Emmett will think?"

Rose ignored his question, brushed her hands across her lap and rose to her feet. She was over this conversation. She walked away from her father, and entered the kitchen. Rose could hear chatter in the living room, "You couldn't wait to tell them." She says it more to herself, but her family overhears her as they enter the kitchen.

"Talk to us," Lillian stepped towards her daughter. She watched as Rose ignored her question as she scanned the contents in the refrigerator.

Aro would not allow his daughter to ignore either him or her mother. He approached the fridge and pushed it close, "You wear your heart on your sleeve. You don't hide your emotions well. Something is bothering you."

"This is my entire fault," her voice breaks. She can barely look her father in the eye.

"What is?"

Her eyes fall over his shoulder. She meets the brown orbs of her husband, "Everything that's happening." She turns back to her parents, "I did it for selfish reasons. I didn't keep my husband in mind. I only thought about myself."

"Rose, what are you talking about?" James stepped forward.

She was about to answer. She was ready to respond. However, when the feeling of bile rose, it caused for her to push through her family and rush into the bathroom. Her body fell to its knees, as she hunched over the toilet seat and released the contents of her late food and alcohol binge. Her arms circled the toilet bowl, and in her peripheral vision, she noticed her husband walking into the bathroom, closing the door quietly behind him. Rose feels his hand rub against her back after he takes a seat beside her, "It'll be okay."

"You're too good for me." She wipes her mouth.

Emmett smiles, "Nah, we're both imperfectly perfect for each other."

Before she could respond, she turns back to the toilet and hacks up chunks of bar food. She mentally swears that she'll never drink again, but she knows the moment this all passes, she would want to go back. This heave of puke brought tears to her eyes, and when the last drop left her mouth, she flushed the toilet. Her body was weak, "I screwed up Em. I'm a screw up."

"No," he inches himself closer.

Rose turns her head away, "Stop, I have puke breath."

"I don't care." He tries to press his lips against hers, but when her head turns, he gets her cheek, "…got rejected."

"…that's disgusting," she chuckles.

"For better or worse, remember?"

"I don't think this is what that meant," Rosalie ran her hand across her stomach, "I won't let you go to prison," she looks up and focuses her eyes on his, "I promise you."

"Is that what's worrying you?"

Rosalie doesn't answer right away. She uses her husband's knee and the towel rack to pull herself to her feet. She steps over her husband, "It's a part of it." She grabs her toothbrush.

"I thought you were handling this well." He rose to his feet next.

"I was hiding my feelings well." She turns on the faucet, "Em, I screwed up. I just hope you can forgive me for what I did, but if you can't, I would understand. I wouldn't forgive me either."

"What did you-" he pauses as he watches her brush her teeth. He thought about the few things Aro caught him up on involving Rose sneaking out of the house last night, "Did it involve Jasper?" He watches her through the mirror.

She spits out the toothpaste, "Emmett-"

"Did it involve Jasper? Whatever you screwed up on, did it involve my best friend?"

Her brows furrowed, "Oh please Emmett, what are you implying? I thought it was a crazy assumption from my father, but you. Don't be jealous."

"To be jealous, I would have to feel threatened, and that would be absurd." Emmett watches her begin brushing her teeth again, "However, my jealousy has nothing to do with what I'm asking you. Whatever you're not telling me, does Jasper know about it? Just tell me Rose;" he grabs her arm and turns her to face him, "I won't be mad."

"I'm not having an affair with Jasper if that's what you're worried about. I just can't tell you what I did because you won't forgive me."

"Let me decide that!" Emmett's large hands took a loving hold of her face. He ignored the toothpaste smeared against her lips, and pulled her into a kiss, "There's no one else for me. Nothing or anyone else could ever make me change my mind about you. I love you and I always will."

She pulled away from him and grinned, "I want you to trust that I'll work this out. I'll tell you…just not now. I need to figure out the next step."

Emmett simply nodded as she turned to rinse the toothpaste from her mouth. He took a glance in the mirror and spotted traces of her toothpaste pressed against the corners of his lips. Before he could do anything about it, he feels her hands wipe at the small dots of white toothpaste, "How did I get so lucky?"

He chuckles, "I ask myself that every day. You're definitely not the easiest person to be married to." Her hand smacks against his chest as he laughs harder. Before the two could laugh further, a knock at the bathroom door pulled them apart, "Yes." Rose opened the unlocked door. It was her mother. Lillian quirks her brow knowingly, "The detectives are here to question us."

Before stepping out of the bathroom, the twenty-two year old turned back to the mirror, splashed cold water onto her face, and followed her husband out of the bathroom. Her hand slipped into his as she heard him whisper, "This conversation isn't over."

Presented as a united front, the couple walked confidently and assuredly into the living room. Two detectives sat on the three-seater couch, each holding a coffee in hand that Lillian prepared for them. The head detective set his cup of coffee down upon the side table, "I'm Detective Thomas Uley. I'm the lead investigator on the case. This is Detective Riley Biers. He's second in charge. We're here to ask you all a few questions about the disappearance and homicide of Royce King Sr. If you have any questions to ask us, please feel free."

Detective Uley, as lead, turns to face Lillian, "We want to ask you a few first Mrs. King." The detective rises from his seat, "First things first, Royce Jr. was supposed to come in for questioning one day next week. We haven't gotten any word from him."

"After Royce Sr. disappeared, we stopped talking." Lillian wanted to stick as close to the truth as possible. It would be easier to remember if she stayed somewhat truthful.

"When was the last time you saw your husband?"

Lillian glanced at Detective Biers in order to answer his question directly, "It was years ago…five to be exact."

"Why didn't you file a missing person's report?" Detective Uley held an unreadable expression on his face. He could have been suspicious or genuinely curious and no one would know.

"I just thought he left. I didn't assume he was missing. After Rose," she pointed in the direction of her daughter, "pointed him out as her attacker, I just assumed he skipped town. I didn't care enough about him after that to file anything. I didn't want him to come back."

"And you didn't suspect any foul play in his disappearance?"

Lillian shook her head at Riley's follow up question, "Like I said, I didn't care enough about him after that. Detectives, he raped my daughter. We weren't going to be able to get a conviction, so him skipping town and getting out of our lives was definitely for the best."

"Well, he's dead now, so maybe it wasn't." Detective Thomas Uley asserted, maintaining his stern look and tense posture, "Someone could have decided to play judge, jury and executioner. We have a justice system for a reason. No one is awarded that right." He adjusted his tie, "Do you…or any of you for that matter know anyone who would want Royce Sr. dead?"

Each head shook no as the detectives scribbled down their thoughts onto a mini notepad. The detectives turned away from Lillian, both were temporarily finished questioning her.

"Rosalie," Thomas calls out, waving her over, "Hi, how are you?" He was much gentler than he was with her mother, "I'm sorry for what happened to you, but you understand that I'm just doing my job." She nods.

Riley looks to her curiously, "We've questioned a few people already, and they say that when you woke up, you didn't remember what happened to you and who did it. Is that correct?" She nods and he continues, "What caused the sudden burst of memories?"

"We went to the location where Garrett found my body."

"And then what," Thomas pushed on.

"We went to the police station."

"To confront the commissioner?"

She nods at Thomas, "Yes, I remembered him being involved."

"At which point did you realize that Royce Sr. was your actual attacker?"

Rosalie released her husband's hand and took a seat in the empty armchair. She crossed one leg over the other, "Actually, Brady was a part of it. He was still involved, but I remembered when we went to the police station to confront him."

"And when you remembered Royce Sr.'s involvement, did you leave to go confront him?"

"We did," she nods.

"You wanted him dead," Riley took a step towards her, tilting his head curiously, "didn't you?"

"Of course. Who wouldn't? But just because I wanted him dead, doesn't mean I killed him."

"Did you?" Thomas looked up to meet Aro's eyes, "We pulled your record Mr. Hale. You went to prison for murdering your own father. You did it to protect your daughter. You did it to get vengeance for your daughter. It wouldn't be the first time."

Aro smirked, "Am I being accused of killing Mr. King? Do I need my lawyer present?"

"No," Thomas shakes his head, "We're just curious to know the answer. There's not anything fathers wouldn't do to protect their children, especially their daughters."

"I didn't kill him."

Thomas dug his hands into his jacket pocket. He wasn't truly convinced that any of them were involved. He nodded towards James and Emmett, but he held no questions for them. However, he wanted them to know that if they had anything to add, feel free to add it. Riley stepped up beside his boss, "So you all left the precinct," he looked around, allowing the question to be open for anyone to answer, "and where did you go?"

"We went to the mayor's office." Rose answered, remaining comfortably in her seat, "By the time we got there, Royce Sr. was already gone."

"We just assumed he left town because we all found out the truth." Lillian added, standing between Aro and James.

"How did he find out the truth? How did he know you all found out?"

"We thought Brady told him. The two were friends and Brady helped cover it all up. He protected Royce Sr. and we assumed he was still protecting him."

Riley nodded at Rosalie's answer. He turned to face Thomas, and they shared the same look. Questioning was done…for today, however, when they take the answers back to their team, they may want to come back for follow up questions.

"Are any of you planning to leave town any time soon?"

"No," Emmett finally spoke up, "We're leaving town when this all gets squared away."

Thomas nods, "Good. Our cards are on the table if you remember anything of value or have any questions. We can show ourselves out."

James still followed them a few steps to the door. Once they left, he closed and locked the door behind them. His eyes were wide, and he sighed in moderate relief. James still wanted the truth to come out. Jasper and his brother-in-law were responsible. Rose just arrived to the scene after it all went down. She should be able to get a free pass.

"He definitely suspects us." Rose sighed, leaning back in her seat.

Lillian rested her hand against her forehead, "It's a little weird coming across competent officers. That's one thing I'm not used to. Forks definitely is lacking in that department."

"We have to come up with another plan. They ask too many questions for Brady's plan to work," Aro asserted from the window, watching as the detectives drove off, "You know," he turns to face his family, "I don't get it. Royce Jr. takes the body and purposefully dumps it near Port Angeles. Why?"

"He wants them to investigate his father's case," Rose answers him with a shrug, "He knows if it's in Forks' jurisdiction, Brady will just cover it up."

"Why not just tell the Port Angeles police where the body is?"

"Maybe he doesn't want them to think he's involved."

Aro shakes his head, "No." He's not content with guessing. He glances around the room and spots Lillian's car keys, "I'm going to go speak to him. I'll ask him myself."

"He'll just deny it," Lillian responds with Rose backing her up with the nod of her head.

"…not if I'm very persuasive."

"Dad-"

"While I'm gone, how about you all figure out a way to bring my car back from wherever the hell you drove it off to." Aro shuffles through his family and pulls open the front door.

"Dad-"

"He's lying! You of all people should want me to get the truth from him! You should want him to pay for what this could possibly do to your husband!"

"But dad-"

"You're not stopping me! I may end up in jail, but you have the money to bail me out. We're getting answers today. I'm tired of sitting in this house waiting for the other shoe to drop. We need the control. We need the power in our hands. And it's time for us to-"

"Jasper dug up and moved the body because it was my idea for him to do it."

 **-Tiffany.**


	7. I Killed Royce Sr

"I can explain everything," her words immediately followed the dropping of her father's jaw, the confused expression on her mother's face, the frown on her husband's lips, and the smirk appearing upon her brother's mouth, "Yes, it was my idea. I convinced Jasper to do it."

"What could have possibly possessed you enough to do something so selfish and idiotic?"

Rosalie stood in complete and utter shock at the tone of her husband's voice. He had never sounded so…so angry and disappointed. Her head fell, "It was a few weeks ago. You were on the phone talking with Jasper," she looked up to meet his eyes, "He was venting to you about just how much he hates his father. Brady had been-"

"Are you seriously about to blame Brady for this too?"

"Let her finish," Aro snapped. His eyes remained enlarged at the sudden realization of his daughter's confession, "Go ahead Rose."

"I had heard the conversation. Brady had been walking around town like he's unstoppable. He thinks he's the shit. He doesn't care who he hurts and Jasper wished his father was gone." She moved passed her mother, brother and father in order to approach the one person she desired the approval and understanding of, "I pushed the conversation to the back of my mind…but, then I watched Brady's interview about how his life was forever impacted by my lies. He had the nerve to say his life could have been ruined, but by the grace of God, he got his job back, I moved away and he could start to forget about me! He called my book a cry for attention! He's acting like nothing happened! How does he sleep at night knowing what he did?" The mere mention of Brady's interview infuriated her. She couldn't help the menacing look growing on her face. There was nothing she could do about her hands shaking against her side as she tried to suppress her growing anger, "I'm very aware that I have anger problems…I know that, but I can only work on one fault at a time. I'm not perfect, but I do have potential just like everyone else. My anger clouded my judgment and I called Jasper. I told him that I wanted to help him get rid of his father for good. He assumed that I wanted to kill him, but I didn't. I'm no killer." Emmett briefly breaks eye contact. "Brady was already cleared of his involvement in my attack. I just…I figured he may have been cleared of my attack, but not Royce Sr.'s death."

"The difference Rosalie," she heard her mother speak from behind her, "no one knew about Royce Sr. No one knew he was missing. No one knew he was dead."

"Jasper and I knew it was a long shot…but I didn't care. I thought it was a chance worth taking. Jasper dug his body up and dumped him where we knew he would be found. I knew the Forks police would just cover it up, so I suggested we dump it outside of their jurisdiction. I told Jasper that his father will always walk over him and everyone in the town. Royce Sr.'s body would have been found eventually, and I convinced myself that we needed to take advantage of the cards being in our hands. Emmett's not a bad guy, but Brady is!" Her hands stop shaking and her shoulders slump forward, "I now know it was wrong. I did it without thinking of the possible consequences. Jasper and I were going to frame Brady for Royce Sr.'s death, but everything didn't go as planned. Royce Jr. wasn't supposed to want to tell the truth. Brady wasn't supposed to come here and try to work a plan out with us." She desperately approached her husband and reached for his hand, "I know I did it for selfish reasons," he steps away from her, "but I know I won't let you go down for this."

Emmett's face mirrors a look of disbelief. His eyes were furrowed at his wife questioningly. The incredulity on his face broke her heart. Her main focus was her husband. She ignored the shocked expression on her mother's face and the surprise on the face of her brother.

"You think that assurance means something to me."

The bold expression on her face drops, "I will handle it."

"You have no control over how this plays out!" He takes a hold of his black, curly hair, and he clenches it tightly, "You know Rose," he drops his hands, "you've done a lot of stupid shit, but this…really?" he takes a step towards her, but immediately takes it back, "You're obsessed…you don't want to be happy because you don't think you deserve it. You're incapable of being truly happy. Once you get an ounce of happiness, you get scared, and you do something to screw it up! You focus on vengeance. You're vindictive and manipulative and you dragged Jasper into this mess because YOU can't move on. Jasper and I could go down for this! You probably didn't even think this whole plan through."

"I admit that I didn't know how I was going to frame Brady, but Jasper said he'll worry about that part. I apologize for it. I apologize for it all, but this may just work out."

"It's sad that you live in this fairy tale." The disappointment on his face saddens her. She wants to speak up and defend herself, but she can't find the right words. Her husband has every right to feel how he's feeling. And when he stands inches in front of her, she can see just how frustrated he was, "You live in this world where everything falls into place! The justice system doesn't always work. It's sad, I know, but that doesn't give you the right to manipulate it to make yourself feel better! You need to-"

"I promise I'll fix this!"

"You've proved by your actions, that your promises mean nothing!" his hands raise and he clenches the air, "Don't be that girl. Don't be that girl who destroys lives. Don't be the girl who brings destruction everywhere she goes. Gosh damn it Rose, what were you thinking? Were you even thinking at all?" His hands are raised and the more he yells, the angrier he gets, "For the last five years, it's been all about you. It's been all about Rosalie! It's been Rose _everything_. How about we try something different? How about we allow someone else some attention? How about we care about other people besides ourselves? You-"

"THAT'S ENOUGH!"

Silence abruptly fills the room. Aro didn't want to involve himself in his daughter's marriage, but at the sight of a large Emmett towering over the smaller physique of his daughter, he couldn't help but shut down the entire argument. Rose was scampering away when Aro had to step in. Emmett was blinded in anger by his wife's betrayal that he ignored any signs of discomfort. And even if he did notice, a part of him didn't think he would care.

"I understand that you're upset, I am too, but you need to watch what you say because to me she's my daughter and I understand that to you she's the woman who just broke your trust. Well, here's a fact, you treat her cruel or continue to break her heart, I'll break you in half."

Emmett doesn't respond to Aro's threat. He backs away from his wife's family, and heads towards the front door, "I'm staying with my parents for a few days. I'll walk." The door slams behind him. And through the window, they can see him walk out of sight.

Rose takes a seat on the couch. One leg crosses over the other as her eyes fail to meet her parents', "I know I screwed up, and I know you're mad, but-"

"I'm impressed," Rose looked up at the shocking words of her father, "don't get me wrong, I'm still upset that you didn't consult with me first, but the idea of framing Brady for Royce Sr.'s death was brilliant. You just needed a full proof plan to make sure it didn't backfire."

Lillian snapped her fingers in Aro's direction, "Wait. Hold on. What's going on here? You may have been impressed by all of this, but I'm disappointed." She quickly whips her head in the direction of her daughter, "What were you thinking? Why would you do something like that? Your husband just stormed out of here." Her voice was reprimanding.

"I know mom," Rose mutters, voice cracking, "I already feel guilty." She covers her face with her hands as James takes a seat beside her, "It'll be alright sis," he rubs her back, "You're not a bad person. You just made a bad decision."

"I seem to make a lot of those. How many bad decisions can a good person make before they should stop living in denial and realize that they're bad?"

"Give yourself a break. You're not a bad person."

"I was there when Jasper and Emmett killed Royce Sr. We all were there, including mom, my dad, Alice and Brady and none of us stopped them. I didn't stop them. I just watched."

James looks at her, and he expects to hear her laugh and tell him that she was just making an inappropriate joke so she can lighten up the moment, but it never came. His hand pulls away from her, "You're kidding?"

"No," she turns to face him, and the moment he sees the honesty in her eyes, he rises to his feet and walks out of the house. Rose glanced up at her parents, "Mom, aren't you going to follow your prodigy son?"

Lillian raised her finger as she backed towards the front door, "This conversation isn't over."

The moment the door shut behind her, a strangled sob erupted from Rose's body. Her shoulders shook and slumped over as her hands shielded her face. She senses her father stoop in front of her, his hand resting against her knee, as his other hand tries to nudge her hands from blocking her face, "Hey," his voice is barely above a whisper, "Rose."

"Why aren't you mad at me? You should be mad at me!"

"I think you have enough people mad at you," his arms swallow her in a hug, "I won't kick you while you're down."

She sniffs, "I ruined everything. I ruined my marriage dad."

"Emmett will come around."

"I've never seen him this angry before."

"He's just scared Rose," Aro pulls away in order to look her in the eyes, "He's angry at the situation and scared of how it might turn out. He'll come around."

She rises to her feet, "I made him a promise that I'll fix this and I intend to see that through. Where are mom's keys?"

"Why?"

Rose sets his keys down before scanning the room for her mother's. She blatantly doesn't answer. She snatches his keys back from off of the table she just set them down on and walks towards the front door and seconds following, she walks out of it.

Aro caught the door before she slammed it closed, "Where are you going?"

"To fix the mess I started."

"What are you going to do?" He follows her out of the house.

Aro spots Lillian and James talking a couple feet away, but he ignores their curious glances, as he jogs to catch up with Rose's fast moving walk.

"You can keep asking, but I'm not telling you." She continues walking and looking forward, "You'll just try and stop me. I can't have that."

"Come on Rose," Aro reaches out and stops her with a tug on her arm, "we don't keep secrets from each other. We keep secrets from the outsiders because they won't understand. We understand each other. Father and daughter team against the world."

"Emmett's right," she began walking again, "I've been selfish…and I think it's about time I do something unselfish. So I'm going to do something selfless in order to fix the mess I started."

"Wow, you walk fast." He laughs, struggling to keep up with her.

She shrugs, "I'm a woman on a mission."

"Where are you going?"

"I left your car and it's my responsibility to get it. It's at Jacob's bar."

Aro smirks, "What? You plan to walk?"

"Yep," she says with an assertion in her voice, "I sure am."

His face grows serious, "You can't walk. The last time you walked, it caused all of this."

"I'm walking dad." She rolls her eyes. She couldn't help her stubbornness.

"You don't know who moved into this town. Anything could happen."

"I'll take my chances."

"You could get attacked again."

"Maybe they'll actually kill me this time." He wasn't succeeding in his attempt to stop her.

"Fine," he gives in, "I'll drive your mother's car and drop you off at Jacob's bar."

With the nod of her head, she agrees. Aro sighs in relief. He thought he was going to have to face her stubbornness on this too. Watching as her father jogged back to the house, Rose pulls out her cell phone. Before she left, she not only lifted Aro's keys from the table, but the business card of the detectives. Keeping her eyes locked on the front door of her home, she dials the number, and presses the phone to her ear, "Come on. Pick up. Pick up." Her foot is tapping anxiously. Aro disappears into the house and seconds later he walks out holding her mother's keys.

"Detective Uley"

"Hi Detective Uley, this is Rosalie." Rose whispers into the receiver, "I need to speak with you."

"Fortunately we're still in town. We just finished speaking with Mr. and Mrs. Whitlock. Where did you want to meet? We can swing by your house."

"No," she quips, noticing her father pulling out of the driveway, "Can we meet in front of Jacob's bar? It's a little bar and grill on-"

"We know where it is. We'll see you there in ten minutes. What is this pertaining to?"

"I have important information about the case. I…I have to go." She hangs up before giving him a chance to respond. Her mother's car pulls up and she immediately hops into the passenger seat.

Rosalie buckles her seat belt as her father pulls off. He sticks to the speed limit as he occasionally glances in her direction, "Yes." She smirks.

"I love you."

"I love you too dad."

"I will protect you from any and everything…or at least I will try. I will do that regardless of where you live, how old you are or whether or not you want me to…I'm your dad. That'll never change. I know you want me to give you space and get off your back, but I'm not doing it because I don't trust you, it's because I'm your father and I have a right to worry. When you have your own kids, you'll understand. You'll understand that as a parent you do what you have to do in order to protect your children."

"Thanks dad," she pats his shoulder, "for everything. I'll never forget what you've risked for me. No matter how any of this turns out, just know that I love you and no matter what anyone has ever said, you're the best father in the world and I don't know how I got to be the lucky one to have you as mine." Aro gives her a genuine smile as they pull in front of Jacob's bar.

She unbuckles her seatbelt and steps out of the car. After closing the door, he rolls down the window, "What are you about to do?"

"I'm going to hang here for a bit. I have something I need to do."

"Need any help?"

Rose chuckles, "No, I have this all under control."

"Rosalie-"

"Dad, I'll talk to you later. Trust me. I'm doing what's best for everyone. Go home and help mom talk to James. He needs you now."

"He's not my child."

"We'll talk later," she smiles and assures him with a nod.

Aro's eyes pleaded with hers, "Something is up with you."

"Dad, I'm fine."

"Promise me."

"Promise you what?"

"Promise me that whatever you're about to do won't turn out bad for anyone, especially you."

Rosalie smiles, "Dad, I have everything under control. I love you. I'll talk to you later."

"Rose-"

"Bye dad," she waves at him and walks in the direction of the bar.

Rosalie slows her steps as she hears her father drive off. She turned around and noticed his car making a turn down another road. She was in the clear. Rose walked over to her father's parked car that she left overnight and leaned against it, "Where are you?" She taps her foot as people entered and exited the bar.

"Mrs. Cullen." She hears her married name called and quickly turns around. Rose sighs at the sight of the detectives.

Standing near a row of parked cars were Detective Uley and Biers. She crossed the parking lot, and began approaching, "What did you need to tell us?"

Her eyes fail to make contact, "…the truth." The wind blows through her blonde hair, causing strands to blow into her eyes and mouth.

"The truth?" Detective Uley steps forward, "What is this Rosalie?"

"…a confession," she holds her wrists together and towards them, "I'm confessing. I killed Royce Sr. I killed him in retaliation for my attack."

 **-Rosalie.**


	8. Twenty-Two Year Old Manipulator

The two detectives stare into the eyes of the young adult. The glint in their orbs was testing her. She had just confessed to a felonious crime. She had no idea what such a confession could do and could possibly mean. Riley reached forward and grabbed the twenty-two year old's arm. No words were spoken as Riley pulled Rosalie along, following behind Thomas, allowing the older detective to open the backdoor to their black SUV and guiding the young woman inside. She jumps slightly as the door is slammed closed.

Rosalie watches through the tinted windows as the detectives collaborate on the sidewalk. She couldn't hear what was being said, but she knew it involved her. Riley's eyes would occasionally drift in her direction or Thomas would unknowingly point in her direction. As she waits, she pulls out her cell phone, scrolls to her husband's name and types up a quick message. _We made the decision to spend the rest of our lives together. It was the best decision I've ever made. You are my world and I will love you always. I'm sorry xoxo._ After the message to her husband is sent, she pulls up Jasper's name, and sends him a quick two-worded response. _It's done._ She shoves her cell back into her pocket as the detectives hop into the front seats of the truck.

"If I'm being arrested," she leans forward in her seat, "shouldn't you be reading me my rights and putting me in handcuffs?"

Riley slammed his passenger door shut, "You're not being arrested."

"Why?" She sat back, "I confessed."

"We don't believe you did it. Everything doesn't add up." Thomas turned in the driver's seat in order to face her.

Riley turned to face her as well, "Why not hire a lawyer before speaking to us? You can be appointed a lawyer if you cannot afford one, but I'm pretty sure with the success of your book, you can afford a couple of good, competent lawyers."

"I wanted this to run smoothly. Lawyers make things complicated."

Thomas squints his eyes, "You wanted what to run smoothly?"

"My confession…"

Rosalie feels her cell in pocket vibrate against her thigh. She ignores the vibration until it continually vibrates against her. She yanks the cellular device out and glances at the message. It was a message from Emmett, clearly asking her for space. Before she abides by his request, she sends him one last message. _I am sorry that I hurt you. I am sorry that you think I don't care. I never meant to hurt you. I'd never intentionally do that to you. I love you._ She hears Thomas clear his throat, and before she could open up Jasper's message and read it, she set her phone down, "Why are you confessing to a crime you didn't commit?"

"What are you talking about?" Rosalie gives him a calculated smirk, "I did kill my stepfather."

"You're protecting someone."

"The truth is a hard pill to swallow, but I killed him."

Riley grinned in disbelief, "Rosalie, tell us about your road to recovery," He didn't believe a word she was spewing, "before your step father went missing. Tell us the truth. If not, we'll just arrest you, use your confession to get a warrant for your medical file and then find out for ourselves…and let me tell you, if you put us through the hard work of going the hard route, we will come down hard on whoever you are protecting."

"I was in a coma."

"For how long?" Thomas took over the questioning.

"Two months," she shrugs her shoulders, "roughly."

"You woke up…and what? What happened?"

"I couldn't walk…" her voice was low as she thought back to the single, worst time in her life, "…at least not good and I was showing early symptoms of a stroke. I…I eventually had a minor stroke. The doctors didn't notice the signs right away until I seized."

Thomas passed Riley a quick look. If she had blinked, she would have completely missed it. Riley had taken over the conversation, and his questioning was much more edgy due to the deepness in his voice, "After your stroke, how much time passed before your step father went missing?"

"…a few days. I'm not exactly sure."

"Do you see why we find it hard to believe your confession? Even if you were healthy, I would still find it hard to believe for a 17 year old girl to be able to beat and smother a man of your step father's physical physique. That's a long stretch," Thomas breathed out in skepticism, "And now you expect us to believe that a 17 year old coma and stroke recovery patient who could barely walk was able to beat a 48 year old man to a pulp, hold him down and smother him?" The detective shook his head, "Oh come on Rosalie, this isn't our first murder investigation. I don't believe you killed him, but I do think you know something. I do believe you are protecting the person who did."

Rosalie crossed one leg over the other, and crossed her arms across her chest. Her hair cascaded around her shoulders as she shook her head, "Whoever killed him, did this world a favor. I don't know who killed him, but whoever it was, did us all a great service. He was scum and he deserved everything he got…so thank you to whoever rid this town of him." Rose reached for the door handle, "And just because I'm protecting who did it, doesn't mean I know who the person is. I will protect this person –stranger or not- because that person doesn't deserve prison. That person deserves a medal and a pat on the back." She pushed open the door, "So you'll have to excuse me for wanting to protect Royce's killer because he or she was the only one willing to stand up and get justice when this whole system failed. If you do find this person, let me know," she steps out of the car, "because like you said, my book sales can afford a couple of good, competent lawyers, and this person deserves the best of the best." She reaches across the seat and grabs her cell phone.

Rosalie slammed the door shut. She gathered herself, pushed back the fear in her heart, and began walking towards her father's car, "Rosalie." She hears her name called out by Detective Thomas, "regardless of what our personal feelings are we are here to investigate a case of murder. If you try to get in our way again, we'll arrest you for interfering with a police investigation. Do you understand?" She nods, "Great, now have a nice day and stay out of trouble."

The young woman waited patiently for the detectives to pull out of the parking lot. She knew they were heading back to their offices in Port Angeles. Rosalie watched until they were out of direct sight, and the second their car disappeared from the main road, she pulled her cell phone out, read Jasper's message, and decided to call him back for a quicker response.

"Hey Rose, where are you?"

Her fast moving legs arrive to her father's parked car, "I'm getting ready to leave Jacob's bar. Now, what's going on? I get a text from you that you have a plan and I need to confess to killing Royce Sr. and not to worry because they won't believe for a second that I did it. Well I did, but I don't understand the point of it."

"Your grandmother knows."

Rosalie tilts her head in confusion, "…my grandmother is dead."

"I'm talking about Maggie," he corrected, "I thought of how she wanted to help. So I called her and I filled her in on what we did."

"Why would you do that?"

"Because we're desperate," he shouted into her ear through the mouthpiece of his phone, "You of all people should be thanking me! You came to my place this morning practically in tears because of how scared and desperate you were to get this all resolved! Besides, you're the one who told your family and Emmett."

"The difference is, we just met Maggie. She's not to be trusted, and if my father doesn't trust her, neither do I…and besides, how did you find out I told my parents, James and Emmett?"

"Your husband called me, and he was far from happy. He practically cursed me out AND he told Alice…and you know as well as I do, that this was going to make her upset, and it did."

Rosalie began to pace. Nothing was going right. Her hand ran through her hair, as she paced back and forth in front of her father's parked vehicle, "We'll have to worry about them later. Right now we need to fix what we messed up."

"And that's why I told Maggie," Jasper tried to convince her, "I had to do something after you came to me this morning. She truly does want to protect you and your father. After I told her, Maggie had the plan to search her husband's office…you know, so we'll know what they know and can act from that. Maggie wanted to throw the detectives off and buy her some time, so she told me to tell you to confess to the crime. I didn't want you to because I didn't want you to go down for it, but Maggie assured me that the detectives wouldn't believe your confession. It was just supposed to buy her time to search both of their offices."

"How is she supposed to search their offices? Aren't there cameras?"

Jasper sighed, "Maggie told me not to worry."

"Oh great, now I'm supposed to trust her. Thanks Jasper."

"Hey," his voice lowered in concern, "have you gotten anymore sleep?"

"Sleep and I currently have a complicated relationship. And now I really won't be able to sleep. How could I with all of this going on?"

"Depriving yourself of sleep won't help. Go home and get some hours in…for everyone's sake."

She nods at his words. He was right. Sleep deprivation would definitely do more harm than good. Rose walked to the driver's side and opened the door, "You're right."

"I think the sleep deprivation is really taking its affect. I thought I heard you say I was right."

She laughs, "Goodbye Jasper. I'll call you later…and tell Alice, I'm sorry."

"Bye Rose," he hangs up.

Rosalie was seconds away from getting into her father's car when a familiar car pulled up next to her. With the engine still running, Brady steps out of his car and slams the door shut, "You should have done us all a favor and actually successfully killed yourself!"

"If I wanted to actually kill myself, I'd climb your ego and jump to your IQ." She crosses her arms, preparing for the raging anger of the town's police commissioner, "What is this all about?"

"You thought I wouldn't find out. You're an idiot if you thought I wouldn't know what you and Jasper did. You didn't tell me!"

"Oh I didn't," she scratches her chin in thought, "then…it must be none of your business."

"It is my business if you're planning to frame me for something I didn't do."

Her arms drop, "What are you talking about?"

"I'm not stupid."

"…that's debatable."

"You're sarcasm is going to get you hurt one day. That sarcastic mouth of yours will-"

"Me, sarcastic?" she pointed towards herself in mock astonishment, "It couldn't be me. I'm too much of an idiot to grasp the quaint subtleties of such potent mockery."

"It's the lowest form of wit."

"…as always said by those incapable of its proper application and as such suffer from it a lot."

Brady shakes his head, "Here goes the sarcasm again…"

"Yeah well, growing up my father always told me to find something I was good at and excel at it. I find being a smart ass one of my greatest accomplishments."

Brady approaches her, and stands eye to eye with the young adult. She didn't back down or waver. She stood her ground as bystanders began watching with fearful eyes, "You don't want to make an enemy out of me. You won't like it."

"Is that a threat?" She looks at the watching people. Smirking as they get to finally see a side of Brady they weren't accustomed to seeing.

"I'm just saying…I have officers working for me and if you ever try to betray me again," he lowers his voice to a tone in which she can only hear, "they'll kill you and make it look justified."

"Am I getting to you Brady?"

"We made a deal…and you broke it."

Rosalie glances at her opened car door, "I'm ready to go. Can I leave now?"

"Where is your loyalty?"

"I have loyalty," her voice lowered, as the watching bystanders remained staring, "…just not to you. My loyalty will never be to you. You're delusional if you ever thought you had it."

"You've made a huge mistake."

"I've been making a lot of those recently."

"And what? You expect everyone to feel sorry for you? You expect me to feel sorry for you?"

She immediately shakes her head, "I don't want your pity. I just want you to get out of my face."

"The attitude…it isn't called for. You need a personality adjustment."

"My personality and my attitude are two different things. My personality is what is in me. My attitude depends on who you are."

Brady slams his hand against the roof of her father's car, "Can't we just be serious Rosalie? You screwed up, and now you probably expect me to fix all of this. Well, too bad. I'm not doing shit. And I will gladly sit back and watch as you all are whisked away to prison."

"Don't underestimate me Brady," she smirks fiendishly, making sure to hide her face from the watching patrons of Jacob's bar, "Those who underestimate me make me try harder to prove them wrong." She felt her cell vibrate in her pocket.

Rosalie silenced herself, and heard the growl and shouts of Brady's voice; however none of his words were processed in her head at the sight of Emmett responding to her text. _Take a hint_. _Leave me alone_. Her brain was telling her not to respond, but her heart wouldn't allow it. She was never the type to just give up on anything. Emmett never gave up on her, and she had no intention of giving up on him. With Brady still shouting at her, she typed up a quick response to her husband's latest message. _I'm not perfect. I make mistakes…a lot of them. I hurt the ones I love now and then, but when I say sorry, Emmett you have to believe me when I say I mean it with all of my heart. I'm sorry xoxo._ She sends the message and tucks her phone back into her pocket. Every part of her wanted to go home, crawl into bed and cry into a pillow, however when she registered back into the conversation with Brady, she noticed the beat red face, and his wide open mouth as he continually shouted profanities at her.

"I've pissed off a lot of people in my life…and yes I know a lot of people hate me, but to be completely honest, I feel like I'm starting to become numb to it." Her words felt small and quiet.

"Rosalie!" She heard Jacob's familiar voice shout as he runs out of his establishment, "Are you okay?" He approaches Brady, "Won't you leave her alone? Can't you see you're getting to her?"

"She can take it," Brady shrugs it off.

"Get out of here! Don't you think she's been through enough? I could hear you yelling at her from all the way inside. Really Brady?...who are you? You're out here yelling at a poor woman-"

"She's far from what you describe her. She's a sociopath."

With every eye turning to stare at her, Rosalie bit down against the inside of her mouth. She felt her eyes water as the pain increased. The tears soon began to fall out, "I should really get home," she wipes at her tears, "I should really get out of here."

"Rose," Jacob whispered, tugging on her arm gently, "Will you be alright? Do you want me to call Esme?"

"I'm not suicidal Jacob." She swatted his hand away, "I can't please everyone, which is obvious, but I seem to have a knack for ticking people off."

Jacob takes a hold of her shoulders, "Hey, stop crying. Everything will be alright."

"No it's not. I have him," she points her hand in Brady's direction, "constantly yelling at me. Emmett's pissed at me. James probably won't be looking me in the eye anytime soon. Alice will probably distance herself from me…and my mom, she'll pretend that everything's okay, but I know her, she's horrible at faking her emotions."

"I don't know what you did, but it can't be that bad. They'll come around."

Rosalie's shoulders trembled and Jacob's arms swallowed her into a hug. Her face was buried into his chest, and at the sound of Brady scoffing, her cries emitted louder. The locals watching eyed Brady and she couldn't help but cry louder in Jacob's arms.

"I really want to get home."

He pulls back, and looks into her eyes, "You'll be okay?"

"Yeah," she smiles through her watery eyes, "my dad will be there."

"If you need anything, do not hesitate to call me."

Rose wiped her eyes, leaned forward and pecked his cheek, "Thanks Jacob." She pulled away, and slid into her father's car.

"She's manipulating you," Brady growled, watching as Jacob closed the driver's side door.

"Shut up," Jacob heard her start her car as he turned to face Brady, "and get off of my property."

The young woman wiped her eyes again as everyone watched as she pulled out of the parking lot. She took a peek in the rearview mirror and saw everyone watching as the car moved further and further away from sight. Once the car turned onto the main road, her posture straightened, her face tightened and her tears dried. Rosalie slowed to a stop at the stop sign, used the collar of her shirt to dry her eyes before pulling forward. As she stared along the straight road, she couldn't fight the smile tugging at her lips, and before she could do anything to prevent it, a small laugh escaped from her body.

 **-Tiffany.**


	9. I Get Blamed

It's been three days. It's been three long and excruciatingly painful days since the falling out between her and Emmett, her and James, and even her and her own mother. It hasn't even been a whole week since she arrived to town yet, and already her life is crumbling to pieces. With one day left before marking down her first week back to Forks, she already knew the following weeks were going to be just as disastrous as the prior.

After spending the last few hours getting ready, she stepped out of her bathroom. The delicious smell of food radiated from the kitchen, down the hallway and dispersed through her bedroom. She was fully dressed, her damp hair clamped around her face, and her bare feet lightly walked along the carpeted walkway, "We should have our lawyers present." She overhears her mother whisper, "They want to talk to each one of us separately…that's a sign, and it doesn't look like a good one. I'll call our lawyer later just to be sure."

"Eavesdropping?"

Rosalie jumps sharply, and turns around to be met with the glare in her brother's eyes, "I wasn't." She steps to the side as her brother brushes pass her, "I see you're talking to me now."

"You really shouldn't let your nose wander in other people's business like that…" James shrugs, and leans against the wall, "It might get broken." His arms crossed and a smug look appeared on his face, "You wouldn't want to screw things up more."

"Don't you have a wife that needs your attention?"

"You don't need to worry about my wife."

"Someone needs to," Rosalie shrugs, "It seems like her husband has forgotten all about her."

James rose from his lean against the wall and approached his sister, "I know you were a little rebellious as a kid," he spoke low to make sure his mother and Aro didn't overhear, "but at some point you need to grow up. Daddy won't always be around to fix your problems. Mommy won't always be here to make the bad things go away." He was mocking her, "You're twenty-two Rosalie. From one former rebellious kid to-"

"Rebellious? So, you think you were a rebel?" Rosalie scoffed in disbelief, "Ha, what did you use to do? Forget to turn off your night light as a child? You were the prodigy kid! You were perfect! Everything you've ever done was perfect! Mommy's little boy could do no wrong. To be a rebel, you're taking a chance. Mom gave you everything you wanted. You're no rebel," she shakes her head; "The worst thing you've probably done was watch a PG-13 movie when you were twelve!"

He smirked. His teeth were gently biting down upon his lower lip and he shook his head in amusement. James clasped his hands together, "You can try to avoid the actual purpose of the conversation, but it won't work. While I am in no way excusing Emmett and Jasper for what they've done, they aren't my siblings. I hold you to a higher standard…a morally higher degree."

"You can't hold people to extreme expectations! I'm human," she points to herself in a desperate plea to get through to him, "I make mistakes! I make a lot of mistakes! That's never going to change…and you're foolish if you think people can live up to your unrealistic expectations. I said I was sorry!" Her voice was growing louder and she can hear her parents' conversation in the next room halt, "I am sorry James, but I am not apologizing to you anymore! I don't owe you anymore apologies. I did nothing to you."

He releases his bottom lip and nods, "You're right, but just know, that when you are all alone and not a single soul wants anything to do with you anymore, remember that you brought this upon yourself. No one else is to blame, no one, but you."

"Can I ask you a serious question?"

He nods, "Of course."

"How come when other people make mistakes, their mistakes are never brought up, yet mine are always open for comment, criticism and disapproval?"

James ignores her question. He had every intention of answering it, but he didn't know the best way to go about it. He didn't care about the mistakes of other people. He only cared about his sister and the mistakes that she made. While her father was in prison, he took on the paternal figure role. No, he didn't have to, but it seemed to fall into his lap. He was seven years older than her, and she was his little sister. James may have held her high up on a pedestal, but she was Rose, she was his Rose. He named her. She was a flower to him, precious and pure. She was unscathed. She could do no wrong. She was perfect…and now, all of that was ruined.

"I don't have to answer that."

She nods, "Of course you don't. Why did I even expect you to?"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You're smart!" She shouts, "Figure it out!"

"I don't have time to be playing these games with you."

She groans loudly, "…then stop! You have the habit of making rules for others and exceptions for yourself! And God forbid you screw up, make a mistake and have someone hold it against you! Poor James wouldn't know what to do with himself if he's the bad guy! You're such a people pleaser. And maybe instead of telling me to grow up, you look in the mirror and take your own advice for once!"

James doesn't accept her response. He takes a hold of her shoulder, and stills her angrily shaking body. He looks into her eyes, "I'm not one of your friends. You're not supposed to talk to me like that." His hands remain.

"You're not my father either. And you're not supposed to treat me like that!"

"Like what?"

"Like I'm scum! Like I'm an invalid! You're not supposed to treat me like I'm not even here…like I don't exist!"

"You treat me-"

"I treat people how I want to be treated, and if that doesn't work, I treat them how they treat me. If I seem like I have changed, I'm only adjusting to you and your way of treating me."

"Well, maybe you should-"

"Do you remember when I asked for your opinion?"

"No."

"Yeah, well neither do I."

Rosalie smacked her brother's hands off of her shoulders. She had enough of feeling like the bad guy. She's been apologizing for the last three days, and she was done apologizing…at least when it came to James and her mother. Emmett still had every right to be upset. Rosalie hears her cell ring in her pocket, but she makes no attempt to reach for it and answer it. Her breathing was ragged and her damp hair was slowly drying, "I love you James, but that doesn't mean I'll let you talk to me anyway you like. I apologized profusely, but I'm not doing it anymore. I don't want to lose you over this. I want you in my life, but I don't need you."

"…the only person you need is your daddy, huh?" He was being snarky, "He's twisted and psychopathic enough to believe that everything you do is for a good reason."

"Yeah, well," Rosalie briefly shrugs as she calms down, "…at least my dad's here. At least my dad wants to be in my life. At least he's willing to do anything to protect me. What is your dad doing?" She hears her parents enter the living room, "What is your dad doing James…you know, besides rotting behind bars serving a twenty-five to life sentence?"

"That is ENOUGH Rosalie!"

James ignored his mother's intrusion. Lillian heatedly placed herself in between her feuding children, and James stepped around her in order to retort, "Aro killed his own father because of you. Your dad is no saint!"

"I never pretended he was! Unlike you, I'm aware that I'm not perfect! I don't walk around like I came from perfection! You, on the other hand, seem to forget. Because your dad isn't from this town, you got a break from the judgment. This town doesn't know who he is and what he's done. You've been spared. You are not constantly reminded. My dad's not good, but he's definitely way better than yours."

"We vowed to never bring my father up!"

"Yeah, well, you shouldn't have mentioned mine."

"You're such a spoiled brat."

"And you're such a mama's boy." Rose watches as Lillian pulls her brother into a hug, "Go ahead, and cry to her like you always do. Cry to mommy and tell her just how horrible of a person I am."

"Rosalie," Lillian turned to her daughter, "stop it, okay."

"Why should I stop? You surely were in support of James giving me the silent treatment for three days."

"No I wasn't," Lillian sucks in a deep breath. She's stressed.

"I'm just defending myself. Isn't that what you always taught me to do?" Rosalie brushed her drying hair over her shoulder, "You don't want someone to walk over you Rose," she mimics her mother's voice, "You have to be tough. You can't let a man talk to you anyway he pleases." She continues mocking her mother's tone, "That is what you told me, but the moment I use your advice against your prodigal son, I'm wrong. I'm horrible. I'm insensitive."

Aro runs his hand across his face. His heart ached for his daughter, and while he wishes he could help her, he knew there was nothing he could do. Aro moved around the furniture and extended his hand in the direction of his daughter, "Come on sweetheart, and let's go fix a plate of whatever your mom is cooking."

"Dad-" her voice is weak.

"I know," he gives her a solemn grin, and waves her over, "You tried…and that's all you can do. You may have done wrong, but you don't need to beg for forgiveness. Either he forgives you or he doesn't…you've done your part, the rest is up to him." Rose set her hand in her father's palm and before he pulled her out of the room, she turned to face her mother and brother, "Sorry for screwing everything up, I have the habit of doing that a lot." The young Hale felt her father pull her out of the living room.

Lillian set her hands against her son's face, and saw the sadness hidden behind his orbs. He was trying to keep a brave face, but she knew him, and the moment Rosalie and Aro departed from the living room, the sorrow revealed itself.

"This…hostility between you and Rose has got to stop."

James pulls his mother's hands away from his face, "You don't need to worry."

"Telling a mother not to worry is like telling the sun not to rise. It won't happen."

"Ugh," James takes a seat on the couch, "I want to move on, but every time I try to explain to her why I'm upset, she gets defensive, stubborn and sarcastic…and you know your daughter, she's very sarcastic." Lillian smiles as she chuckles and nods. She knows her daughter very well.

"Yeah, I do enjoy sarcasm…a lot. I find it hilarious that is until I hear it coming from the mouth of my child." The smile on Lillian's face fell, "I created a monster."

"No, Royce Sr. created a monster."

James felt his mother take a seat next to him, "You said you tried to talk to Rose, but she got defensive?"

"Yeah, she takes everything so personal."

"Who wouldn't, especially if your approach is accusatory and critical? If all you have to tell her is everything that's wrong with her, then what kind of reaction did you expect? No one is going to sit still, be quiet and listen to someone list off everything that is negative about them." Lillian lifted up her son's hand, "If all you are going to do is remind her about the mistake she obviously knows she made, you'll get nowhere. Rose is 22. She's married. She has her own income. She lives hours away. She's legally grown, but at 22, you're still a kid. You still need your parents. You still need molding and growing…and when something so awful happens to someone, it doesn't go away no matter how much time pasts. You don't forget about it, you just learn to live with it. I can't put myself in Rose's shoes. I can't compare my life story to hers. I can't stop her from making bad decisions. I can't tell her how to react to situations. All I can do is make sure I'm there for her when she does. You can't be old and wise without first being young and stupid." Lillian pats her hand atop her sons, "You've always had such high morals, expectations and requirements, and I love you enormously for it, but you do have to realize James that we're human. We're all human, even you. There are things that you are not proud of, and none of us rub them in your face. You have to keep that in mind when you want to do that to others. I know both of you are adults, so I tried to stay out of it these last few days, but the silent treatment James…she doesn't deserve that. And now I don't know which I prefer, you two not speaking to each other or you two ripping into each other…I don't know, but I don't like it. I want back the relationship you two used to have…the close bond you shared."

James relaxes his elbows against his lap. He clasps his hands together and leans forward in thought, "Mom," she turns to look at him, "I just need time."

"And you get that…you get time, but you can't expect her to be on the same timeline as you."

"I know me and Rose sometimes fight, laugh and cry, but I still and will always love her anyway." James blinks through his watering eyes, "Nothing will ever change that."

"I know that, and you know that, but you can't expect her to know that, especially with the way you've been treating her."

"…I just need time."

Lillian leans over and pecks the side of her son's head, "Of course."

Rosalie stared down at the bowl her father set down in front of her. It smelled marvelous, but it looked horrible. She saw her father grab spoons, before he pulled his seat out, "I'm ready to dig in." He handed her a spoon, "What is this?"

"Soup," he smiles, taking a spoonful, blowing at the chunks of vegetables before consuming the liquid and potatoes, "It actually tastes better than it looks."

"Dad, I'm going to lose my brother."

"Oh," Aro looks up with wide, shocked eyes, "we're jumping right into it," he sets his spoon down, "okay," he clears his throat as his daughter waits for his next response, "It's going to be okay."

"Really? Dad, I'm going to lose my brother."

"Rosalie," his voice becomes firm, "You're not a facebook post; your purpose is not to be liked. Don't try to force someone to stay in your life, if they want to go, let them."

"…but this is James. I shouldn't have said what I said. I hurt his feelings."

"Honey," Aro smirks, lifting up his spoon, preparing to take another slurp, "So what? You're sorry that you offended him, but everyone is allowed to have a bad day," Aro shrugs as he takes a bite, "If they can't accept that, screw them, they can go play out on a busy highway."

Rose lifted her glass of water and took a long sip, "I managed to piss off everyone in my life that I hold dear," her father gave her a look, "minus you."

"That's why I don't keep a lot of friends. I go for quality not quantity."

"Dad, you don't have any friends."

"I have you."

"We're not friends. We're father-daughter…that's a different relationship. You choose your friends; you don't choose your parents. Dad, you don't have any friends that are not family."

Aro thought quietly to himself, "Hmm, you're right. I never noticed. Friends are a want, not a need. We can live without them."

"Friends make life a lot simpler to get through."

"It doesn't seem like that from where I'm sitting. If you didn't have friends, you wouldn't have Jasper to help dig up the body, Alice wouldn't be mad at you, and you probably wouldn't have met the husband who is currently avoiding you."

"Friends are who you turn to in your time of need."

"…so is family."

"Your father was family."

"Touché." Aro smirked, mentally applauding his daughter for her quick retort.

Aro went silent in order to continue eating his meal. He could hear the quiet murmurs of Lillian and James in the other room; however he couldn't pick up what was being said. As he continued to slurp at his soup, he noticed the raise brow on his daughter's face, "You should eat your soup before it gets cold." He continued chewing at the chopped up vegetables and potatoes, "Eat up. Your vegetables will make you big and strong." She chuckles as she scoops into her soup. He watches her take a sip of her warm soup, "Okay, don't kill me."

"What happened?"

Aro rose from his seat, "You've had a stressful few days since coming back to town."

"What did you do?"

"You deserve to get out. You deserve to clear your mind and have a night out on the town." He grabbed his empty bowl and took it to the sink, "You're going out tonight with-"

Her spoon drops into the bowl, "Please don't tell me it's with you. I can handle a lot of things, but going out for drinks with my father is not one of them."

"No," Aro chuckles, "Bella's coming over to take you out."

"Bella?"

"Yes Bella," her father walks over and removes her unfinished soup from the table, "your mother and I talked, and we feel you need to clear your head. Since Alice is currently not answering your calls, we figure Bella at least owes you this. We called her and she agreed. She'll be here any second…you're dressed and all you need to really do is your hair, so it's-"

"You called her!"

"…yes."

"So, we forgive her now?"

"You do…me? Not so much."

"Dad-"

"Rosalie just give her a shot," Aro turned on the faucet, and began washing the dishes, "…not for her, but for you. She knows to not expect friendship this soon."

"This may be a disaster. Dad, Bella's the type of girl who can trip over nothing and blame it on a rock that's ten feet away." Rosalie rose from the table and approached her father, "If anything miniscule happens, I'll get blamed…I always get blamed."

"…not by me."

"Dad, you don't count. I'll get blamed by everyone else, but you."

He turned off the faucet, "Shouldn't that count for something? I don't blame you. I won't."

"It obscures my ability to find fault in my actions."

Aro wipes his hands along the dishrag, "So, what do you want me to do Rosalie? You want me to start blaming you? You want me to give you the cold shoulder? Yell at you? Ignore you?"

"No," she quietly shakes her head, "I want you to be my dad. I want you to advise me."

Aro gently pulls his daughter into his arms and rests his chin upon the top of her head, "Well, here's some advice…move on. The damage is done. There is no need to dwell on it anymore. You've apologized countless times already. There is only so much you can do. You've done your part in seeking forgiveness," He pulls himself away from his daughter and looks down into her eyes, "You made a mistake and that mistake is in the past. If you're always looking behind you, you're going to trip and fall over a blessing you didn't see coming your way. And I know everyone is pretty mad at you, but at this point, they'll either forgive you or they won't. Who gives a shit? You have me…and your mom. Who else do you really need?" He smiles and it pulls a chuckle from her.

"You know you had me at the beginning of your speech." She smiles, "You gave pretty good advice, but dad you're a sucker for me." Rose looked into her father's eyes, "I always thought people were joking when they said I could literally do anything and you would not blame me, but daddy, sometimes I deserve the blame."

Aro sighed as he brushed a dry strand of blonde hair behind his daughter's ear, "Rosalie, I may not be the smartest person or the wisest, but I do know a little something. I know that blaming you would get us nowhere. I know that I shouldn't kick a man…or a woman while she's down, unless they truly deserve it. I'm your dad…THAT will never change and if everyone is blaming you, you don't need me to do that too. You are a part of me. Your mother and I created you, and that's where my loyalty lies. We share DNA. We share blood. You're not my parent or sibling or neighbor or girlfriend. You are my daughter. There's a bond that you won't understand until you have children of your own. You've never given up on me…and you know, you may not notice this, but I've done a lot of wrong and you have yet to blame me for it. Maybe you should answer that question too."

Rosalie doesn't answer it. She pulls a sincere and genuine smile out upon her face and wraps her arms around her father. She squeezes him as tight as her petite body would allow, "I love you."

 **-Tiffany.**


	10. Her Real Tears

Rosalie watched out of the passenger side window as the remaining seconds of sunlight slowly disappeared. She felt the car come to a complete stop at the sight of the red octagon, signaling a stop sign. The twenty-two year old glanced left, in the direction of her former best friend, "Rose, if you're not up for this, I can take you back. I don't want you to feel compelled into going out with me tonight. I want to take you out, but only if you're up to it."

"I am," Rosalie gave her the kindest grin she could muster up, "I'm ready to be ashamed of the things we do this weekend." It was Saturday night, and on Monday, it will officially have been one week since her return to Forks. She needed a good girls' night out, and with Alice avoiding her calls, and Bella willing to step in even though the two aren't back to normal, she figured it was worth a shot. Bella wanted to mend things, and considering how everyone currently in her life were now distancing themselves from her, it wouldn't hurt to have one friend. Rosalie ran her fingers through her loose and wavy hair, "I have no intention of behaving myself and I find no reason to pretend that I do."

"A day out with you is never normal," Bella laughed.

"I tried to be normal for a day. It was the most boring day of my life." Rosalie turned back to stare out of the window of Bella's car.

The nightlife in Forks, Washington lacked in comparison to nightlife in any major city in the United States. She and Emmett had gone out to experience Seattle's nightlife on multiple occasions, and while the only source of adult entertainment in Forks was Jacob's bar, she had to admit, for her once boring and uninteresting town, her friend's establishment did add a little flavor to it.

As the car pulled into the parking lot, Rosalie unhooked her seatbelt. She waited for Bella to park and turn off the engine of her car before stepping outside of the vehicle. It was dark and the air was a bit chilly, but in less than an hour, she had every intention of being drunk and uninterested in the small things, such as temperature. Most of the parking spaces were filled, and Rosalie was happy to be able to experience Jacob's bar on a Saturday night.

"Hey gorgeous," Rosalie looked up at the sound of a drunk man greeting her friend, "Bella, how…how are you this evening? When are you going to let me take you out mama?" His slurred words, stumbling figure and heated breath was a big turn off for the blonde twenty-two year old, however, Bella seemed to be enjoying the attention. The guy, who Rosalie must have assumed moved into town after she left, moved closer to a flustered Bella, "I stand by what I always say," his hand ran against the side of her face, "you're hot, and when are you going to let me take you out?" He stood there, eyes wide in anticipation.

Rosalie shakes her head in disapproval, "Come on Bella. It's time we get some drinks in us." Without taking a second glance back, the young Hale began walking towards Jacob's bar and within seconds she felt Bella run up next to her, "Are you seriously thinking about giving him your number?"

"Maybe," Bella shrugs, "Why not?"

Before entering, Rose stops, turns to her friend and shakes her head, "When a boy calls you hot, disregard him. You are a woman, not a temperature! Besides, what happened to you and Edward? I thought you worked things out after your stint in county jail."

"We're on again/off again…currently off. I don't know," Bella shrugs, and reaches to pull open the door, "I want something serious. He's not ready to settle down. I figure why waste time if it isn't going anywhere, you know?"

"Yeah, I-" Before she could continue her thought, Rosalie stepped into the bar, and her eyes immediately landed upon Emmett, sitting on a barstool, sipping on a glass of scotch. She wants to approach. Every inch of her is telling her to approach, but at the remembrance of her betrayal, him moving out and not returning any of her phone calls, she chose against it.

Bella watches the scene. She notices the regret in Rosalie's eyes. She witnesses the scowl plastered across Emmett's face, and seconds following, she witnesses the flirtatious glint in Elizabeth's eyes, as she takes a seat next to Rosalie's husband. Bella looks to her friend and she can tell that Rose noticed too. Bella takes Rose's forearm, "Let's get some drinks in us."

The young blonde nods in agreement, "Yeah," she follows Bella to the only empty table. Rosalie pushes a few strands of hair behind her ear, pulls her seat out and sits down. Every part of her wants to approach Emmett, especially now that he seems to be enjoying the company of Elizabeth. Rosalie leans forward on her elbows, and presses her face into the palms of her hands, "Maybe this was a bad idea…"

"No," Bella shakes her head, "We'll pretend he's not here."

She drops her hands from her face, "How am I supposed to do that?"

"Alcohol," Bella laughs, rising from her seat, "You sit here, and I'll put in our order."

Rosalie leans back in her seat, allows her fingers to fumble together anxiously, as she stares forward at the nosy patrons. Everyone knows that she and Emmett are married, and it's probably killing all of them to not know why they aren't looking at each other, talking to one another, sitting next to each other and even acknowledging one another's presence. As Rose stares down into the carving on the wooden table, she senses a presence approach her, "Whatever it is, I don't want to hear it, I don't want to talk about it and I don't care."

"Whoa," a guy laughed, causing her to look up at the unfamiliar voice, "sorry lady."

"No, I'm sorry. Is there something you wanted?"

"I just wanted to introduce myself." The man extends his hand, smirks boldly, flashing the deeply embedded dimples in his cheeks, "I'm Henry. I moved here a month or two ago. I don't really remember the exact date. I'm starting college in the town over in August."

His introduction and his name sounded somewhat familiar. The familiarity sparked curiosity, and she had to figure out where she's heard of him before, "I'm Rosalie. I'm only back for a short period of time." She shakes his hand, "I know we haven't met before, but I feel like I know of you. Do you work in town?"

"No," he smiles, "I work in Port Angeles."

"What about family?"

"There's me, my sister and my parents."

"Who are your parents?"

"Ron and Vera," his answer settled the curiosity in Rosalie's mind.

Without requesting permission, Henry takes a seat in Bella's unoccupied chair. She was currently at the bar, chatting it up with Jacob as he made their drinks.

"You know, I've heard a lot of things about you-"

"Nowadays it's hard to meet someone who hasn't."

"Your current predicament interests me."

Rosalie furrows her eyes in confusion, "Is that so?"

"Yeah, I'm trying to figure out why a beautiful woman such as yourself is sitting here all alone on a Saturday night? There has to be some law against that."

She chuckles, "I'm not interested kid. I'm married."

"Kid?" Henry quirks a brow, "I'm 19…20 in two months. I'm far from a kid."

"You're barely legal…and you can't even drink yet. What are you even doing here in a bar?"

Henry shrugs, "I come for the good food, company and conversation."

"I'm not trying to be rude, but I'm here with a friend right now, and she'll be back soon with a drink that I desperately need. We can continue this conversation another time because right now, I am definitely not up for it."

Henry doesn't say a word. He simply stands up, nods his head, and backs away. The entire time, the smile remained on his face. The nineteen year old turned and slid into the booth that already occupied a girl she recognized from high school.

"Sorry I took so long," Bella set the tray of glasses down, "I see you met Henry. He's adorable."

Rosalie says nothing in response. She quietly takes a hold of the shot glass, tips her head back and downs the strong liquor. She continues to remain speechless as she lifts the second shot and repeats herself. When she reaches for another one, Bella slides the tray away, "Easy there tiger," Bella laughs, and takes a seat, "alcohol won't take the pain away. It'll just enhance it. I've often heard that I'm a good listener. You can give it a try and tell me if those people were right."

"I'm at the point now Bella," Rosalie uses the back of her hand to wipe at her eyes, "where someone will walk in looking angry and I think whatever it is they're angry at, I probably did it."

"You can't blame yourself."

"I can," she nods, "because it's my fault."

"I can tell that you feel bad, and you've suffered enough Rosalie. This is ridiculous," Bella's voice remained low as she gave her opinion, "If he truly loves you, he'll forgive you. Didn't you two vow to love one another, for better and for worse, right?"

Rosalie reached and grabbed another shot from the tray, "…this is worse than worse." At the sounds of loud giggling, Rose turned to glance at the source from over her shoulder. She saw Elizabeth, obnoxiously flirting with her husband. Emmett held a small smile on his face as he sipped at his refilled glass of scotch.

"Ignore them," Bella urged.

Elizabeth's giggles grew louder. She had managed to put a smile on the face of her quiet and angered husband. It had been a few days since the two stopped speaking, and the moment something outwardly bad happens, he turns to Elizabeth, the town slut.

"That just isn't my style," Rosalie slams her glass down upon the table, and rises from her seat, "You can stay seated or follow me for back up. It's up to you."

The entire bar fell quiet at the sight of Rosalie approaching Emmett. No one uttered a word, even those individuals who had no idea what was going on. Bella chugged down two shots, back to back, before rising from her seat and following behind her infuriated friend.

Emmett spotted her out of the corner of his eye, "If you're just going to give me another excuse, please just save it Rosalie! My bullshit meter is on overload from the last one you gave me."

"I'm sorry that you are hurt," she ignored Elizabeth's presence for the time being, "Sometimes I do extremely stupid things without realizing that I am doing them. I truly wouldn't do anything purposeful to hurt you. You have to believe me Em. You have to forgive me."

"He doesn't have to do anything," Elizabeth interrupted, sliding in between Rosalie and Emmett. Her taller form made her look down to Rose, but the young Hale wasn't afraid. She didn't waver.

She stood firm, her shoulders broad, "This has nothing to do with you. This is between me and my husband…so please, get out of my face. I don't want to hurt your feelings today."

Bella approached closely, reached for Rose's wrist, and gently pulled her back. This is exactly the type of drama the town thrived on. Rose was playing into all of their hands. Bella separated her friend from Elizabeth, "Let's just go."

"I can't just go," Rose shakes her head, "She's flirting with my husband."

"I'm not flirting; I'm just being extra nice to someone who is attractive." The look on Elizabeth's face irritated Rosalie to her core. The smug smirk on her face infuriated her, and it took every fiber of her being to suppress her rage.

"Emmett," Rosalie turned to her husband, pushing Elizabeth out of her way in order to approach him, "Did I make a mistake? Yes, yes I did. Am I tremendously sorry for what I have done? Of course," she lifts his hand, and he immediately pulls it back, "But if you let one bad decision ruin all of the good, then there is nothing I can do. I'm sorry."

"Can't you see that he wants nothing to do with you?"

Rosalie squeezed her eyes shut. She inhaled a strangled breath and slowly released it. Her hands shook against her sides, as she slowly, gradually turned around, "Rose, don't-" Bella forced herself to stand between the two, "this isn't you. Don't say something you'll regret."

"Some things are just better left unsaid, but then again," she gently pushes Bella to the side, "that just isn't my style of doing things. I'm just being myself."

"Anyone who told you to be yourself couldn't have given you any worse advice."

"Oh, is that so?" Rose crossed her arms, "Won't you tell that to my parents?"

Elizabeth was truly enjoying every second of this…and it killed Rosalie to see it. Emmett, on the other hand, ejected himself from the conversation. He just came to enjoy himself a few glasses of scotch. Every once in a while, his eyes would drift towards his wife, but at the feeling of any hint of sympathy or compassion for her, he would turn away.

"It hurts to be on the other side, doesn't it?"

"Emmett will never want a slut like you."

Elizabeth glared, "That isn't my name."

"Oh sweetie, please," Rosalie scoffed in amusement, "you have a name, but it sure isn't the one on your birth certificate."

"You're not switching this up on me."

"I don't want to argue with you Elizabeth!" Rose shouted at the top of her lungs, earning the attention of anyone who was not already paying attention, "I just want to speak to my husband!"

Bella tried again. She slid in between the feuding women and pushed Rosalie back. She couldn't afford for her to do something. Her shouting already had everyone on edge, and now the angered glint in her eyes pushed people to the edge of their seats.

"Rosalie, please let's just go." Bella turned to face her friend.

"Don't hate me because I'm pretty," Elizabeth taunted from behind Bella, "hate me because your husband thinks so."

Once the words left her mouth, Rosalie saw red. She felt adrenaline hit her body as she lunged for Elizabeth. Her hands twisting into fists, ready to strike at her face, "Shut up!" Before Rosalie could make contact, she felt her body lift into the air. Someone's arm was wrapped around her waist, holding her small frame back, "Let me go!" She squirmed in his embrace, but he wasn't obliging, "She has to learn!" Rosalie argued, struggling to persuade whoever held her.

None of it worked. She felt like a small child as he carried her out of the bar. Rosalie held no desire to figure out who was carrying her, but at the sight of her husband, she relaxed. After the door to the bar slammed shut, Emmett placed her onto her feet, "What the hell is wrong with you? Have you lost your mind?"

"She was taunting me," Rosalie spoke as if she was a child. She avoided eye contact with him. She couldn't bear to see the disappointed look in his eye.

"You shouldn't have let her get to you."

"I'm sorry."

He snapped, "Stop saying you're sorry!"

"Then stop ignoring me!"

"I have to ignore you because if I don't, I may say something that I'll regret. I hope it doesn't hurt you, but-"

"Oh yeah," she interrupts him, throwing her hands into the air, "it doesn't bother me at all, I mean I never had feelings or a heart in the first place you could hurt. Thanks for asking, I'm fine." He ignored her sarcasm, backed away from her, turned around and began walking towards the front door, "So I fucked up," her words stopped him from walking, "so did you, but I never used your mistakes against you!"

"Don't you do that," he abruptly approaches her, finger held out, accusingly, "Don't you dare bring that up when you were perfectly fine with it when it happened."

She's genuinely crying, "I don't blame you. I'm not bringing it up to make you feel bad. I'm bringing it up to prove a point." Her eyes dropped tears down her cheeks, "I'm just trying to get you to see where I'm coming from. I never told you to do it."

"You didn't stop me either."

"I wasn't in the right mind Emmett! Put yourself in my shoes, you wouldn't have stopped you either. All I saw was red! And I wasn't the only one there either!" She used her hand to brush her hair over her right shoulder, "The point I'm trying to make is I never held it against you. I supported your decision-"

"…because it benefited YOU."

"Why do I have to be the bad guy?" Her eyes glower towards him, "Why do you need me to be the bad guy?! Why can't we move on like we did that night five years ago? If we can move on from that, we should be able to move on from anything!"

"…because every time I look at you, no matter how much I want to move on, I keep remembering what you did. I keep remembering how selfish and vindictive you are. We lie to other people, we don't lie to each other. It's a difference. There is a difference Rosalie. And you cared about vengeance more than me, more than Jasper, more than your parents…more than yourself! Rose, I love you… and you are far from the easiest person to love, but I love you so much it hurts, but I really need space. I need a lot of space…from you, from your presence, from the thought of you."

It finally registers. Rosalie didn't need to continue seeking Emmett out. If it were meant to be, he would come to her. She's done all she could. And she was tired. She was tired of fighting. She was tired of defending herself. She was tired of it all.

Rose glanced down at the pavement, "I understand," her words were quiet, barely above a whisper, "I'm sorry for not being good enough," he opens his mouth to clarify his words, but she continues, "I'm sorry for all of the mistakes I've made," he can tell that she's not being sarcastic, she truly means everything she's saying, "I'm sorry for what happened between us," she slowly stepped away from Emmett, "I'm sorry for what I did," her voice breaks, and it hurts for him to see her so sad and fragile, "I'm sorry for being alive," he calls out to her, ready to rebuttal her words, but she continues to back away, "I'm sorry Em…for everything." She turns on her heel and immediately begins walking away.

 **-Tiffany.**


	11. A Needed Talk

Rosalie sat, with her legs crossed, as she watched the peaceful flow of the stream water. Her fingers picked at the small grass shards grown around her. Her mind was clear, and her gaze was distant. Her fingers sunk into the dirt as her butt sunk further into the soiled ground. She felt a presence next to her, without turning to look; she knew who it was, "Who called you? Bella or Emmett?"

"Whose ass am I kicking?" Aro sat down beside her.

Her head rested upon his shoulder, "Mine? All of the thanks are owed to me, for all of the messes I've seemed to have gotten myself into." She lifts her head up and stares at her father, "I have a problem. My problem is that I don't give a crap about being politically correct. If it comes to my head, chances are it's coming out of my mouth too. Dad-"

"Why are you here Rose?" He turns to face her.

"I-I don't know. I guess because it's the place where my life changed."

"…the stream where Garrett found you."

She nods as she draws her legs up to her chest. Rose wraps her arms around her legs and leans her head against her thighs, "It's a good place to think. It's quiet. It's peaceful. I know I won't run into anyone here. Ever since my attack, people have steered clear of the forest."

"Why didn't you call to tell me where you were?"

"Just because you're my father doesn't mean you need to know every detail of my life."

"Ouch," Aro chuckles, "that was a bit harsh. Want to tell me what the snippiness is all about?"

"I went out with Bella like you and mom suggested, and Emmett was there."

He runs his hand against the back of her head, "And how did that go?"

"Dad, I tried to be strong. I tried to ignore it. I tried to smile through it, but my smile lied. It says I'm strong, but my heart says I'm fragile."

"Are you okay?"

"Oh yeah," Rose sarcastically nods, "I'm cool. My heart has been broken many times before; it's almost like a game to see how fast I can put it back together again."

Silence falls between father and daughter. The only sounds heard between the two are the sounds of mother-nature purring in the night. The water from the streams are hitting against the dirt walls of the pond. The leaves are blowing in the nightly spring breeze. The moon was illuminated over their heads, and if Rosalie wasn't so distracted, she would have embraced the moment and enjoyed the night. As her arms tightened around her legs, she began to rock forwards, and then backwards, once, twice, until it became a repeated occurrence, "I have come to realize that certain people are only in my life just to piss me off. Life sucks."

"Maybe it's not life that sucks; maybe it's just the people you let in your life that suck. Listen Rosalie, look at it this way, every person you know is a character in the movie of your life, all you need to do is figure out who you want to be the stars and who you want to be the extras." Aro's voice is barely above a whisper when he responds.

"I know I shouldn't let them get to me, and if I had a choice, I wouldn't! If I could change anything, it would be how others have made me feel…but I can't change that, no matter how hard I try. I know I'm a work in progress, but I like myself the way I am! I'm so torn because I know we should always strive for change, but at what point do you say, you don't want to change yourself for anyone. You want to be yourself. Life has too many rules to live by."

"Yeah," her father mumbles along, "and by the time you learn the rules, you're too old to play the game. I'm 49 and I still don't understand this little mystery called life." Rosalie chuckles.

Rose unravels her arms from around her legs. She stretches them out, and turns her body to face her father completely, "So, who called you? How did you know I ran off?"

"Don't look too much into it, but Emmett called. He was worried. You both may be temporarily separated, but-"

"We're not separated."

"He called because he was worried. You two may not be on speaking terms, but he's still your husband and he still loves you. And he'll still protect you."

She looked at him with hope in her eyes, "Did he say that?"

"…in so many words." Aro chuckles.

"Well, dad, what did he say?"

"Who cares?"

"…I do. I hurt him. I have no idea where he stands with me."

Aro frowns, "He left you after you made a mistake. I understand that he has every right to be mad, but he left. He left and ignored you when things got hard. We all do things we aren't proud of, and we all do things that hurt others, and you owned up to it. You can't go back in time and change it. What the hell does he want you to do? Beg and grovel. I'll be damned."

"Dad, calm down."

"These last few days you've been a wreck!"

"Well thanks." She rolls her eyes.

"You've been a wreck because of the guilt you've felt; well now it's time to move on from it. You don't deserve to feel guilty anymore. You deserve to move past it. You've said your apologies, you've cried and you've pleaded. There's nothing else left for you to do Rosalie. The mistakes you have made weren't deliberate attacks to hurt him or any of us for that matter. No matter the choices you make, someone won't like it. So don't worry about making anyone else happy. Focus on yourself. Being selfish is okay every once in a while. It is okay."

"…then why do people act like it's not?"

"I don't know, but sometimes we have to put ourselves first. That's why I didn't want you to get married so soon."

"Dad, don't start with that."

"No," he wrapped his arm around her shoulder, "let me finish. I didn't want you to get married, not because of my personal feelings towards Emmett or because I'm extremely protective of you, even though that did play a part in it, I didn't want you to get married because you're so young. Your twenties are a time for exploration, for fun and adventure. It's not a time to be tied down. It's a time for selfishness. You're supposed to think about yourself. You're supposed to do things that are in your best interests, not the best interests of you and your spouse. You're a twenty-two year old living the life of an adult."

"I am an adult-"

"…maybe you are legally, but mentally and emotionally, you are not. No twenty-two year old is…they still need their parents whether they realize it or not." Aro's voice pleaded with her.

"Last time I checked, I was a big girl. I can make my own decisions dad. I am capable of managing my own life and I can deal with my own issues. I made the decision to marry Emmett and I've never regretted it. Jasper and Alice were married a year before me and Emmett, and you have yet to shed your opinion on the matter."

"Well, Jasper and Alice aren't my children. I have one kid." He tapped her nose jokingly, "And that's you."

"I'm not a kid," her arms crossed.

He smiles genuinely, "…in my eyes you are."

A single tear rolls down her cheek. Rosalie wanted to just let it go and move on, but every part of her wouldn't allow it. By letting go, she would be giving up on her husband and the chance of forgiveness from him. Moving on would cause for her to forgive herself, and therefore not yearn for the forgiveness of those she hurt.

"Penny for your thoughts," he nudges her shoulder carefully.

"I want to take your advice."

"What's stopping you?"

"I don't want to lose my husband in the process."

For the last couple of days she's been living in a state of grey depression. It was a feeling that she could not figure out a way to get out of. It felt permanent. A mist that surrounded her constantly and wouldn't rise no matter what she did. It felt like a weight was pressed down upon her shoulders. She wanted to cry harder. She should have been sobbing, but her emotions were too numb to even fathom the idea of breaking down in her father's presence.

"You deserve to be happy," his voice was the calmest she has ever heard it be, "and in order to be happy, it means you have to be free. It means you need to let everything that bothers you go. You have to smile…and you have to let everyone know the real you, the new real you. The new and real you that wants forgiveness and will strive to get it, but also the you that knows when to stop seeking what won't be offered."

Her puffy eyes glanced to her right in order to glance at her father, "You don't think he'll forgive me? You don't think he has any intention of forgiving me?"

"…I just want you to be prepared if he doesn't."

"How do you and mom get over patches like this?"

"We compromise," Aro drops his arm from around her shoulder, "I usually admit I'm wrong and she agrees with me."

Rose smiles softly, "I already admitted I was wrong."

There's a hollow hole forming in her heart. It was a hole that only Emmett could possibly fill. The whole world around her was crashing, but all she could focus on was the dwindling aspect of her marriage falling apart. She didn't know how much time had passed, but it felt like a lifetime since she walked off.

"It's dark and it's getting late. We should head back."

Rose rises to her feet, "You go on. I want to stay here a little longer." She begins to brush sprinkles of dirt off of her behind, "Despite popular opinion, I'll be fine here. I won't get into any trouble." Aro chuckles at that. He follows her movements and rises to his feet.

"You may not go looking for trouble, but it does seem to find you. You need a ride back anyway, so I'll wait with you."

"Why can't I just be alone for a second?"

"Because that's not what you need," Aro nudges on her arm in order to turn her around, "what you need is to talk to your husband. You need to clear the air-"

"I already tried that."

"No, you tried pleading for forgiveness. You tried giving him space. You tried texting and calling him with apologies. It's time you try a different approach. It's time you try a more confrontational approach. You tell him straight up how sorry you are, but allow some of the Rosalie that I raised to shine through. Lay down the law. Tell him what you will do, but remind him of what you won't allow. The ball has been in his court for days, it's time for you to get your chance to play."

"This isn't a game."

He begins leading the way, "I didn't say it was. It was simply a metaphor. Come on, I'll give you a lift there, and I'll be by your side every step of the way."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" She abruptly stops walking, "Dad, you're a little intimidating. And if I do this, I don't want the pressure of you hanging over Emmett's head."

"Don't you worry about Emmett's pretty little head," the two continue walking out of the forest, "Emmett's not afraid of me. And this isn't about me. All you need to do is be honest."

"Everyone wants you to be honest until you tell them how much they suck."

Aro chuckles as he pulls out his car keys, "Well when you put it like that…"

The two continued walking along the path out of the woods. Her father was parked along the side of the road. Aro unlocked his car from his position in the clearing of the forest, and watched as his daughter walked ahead of him. The older Hale sighed as he watched her slide into the passenger side, and shut the door. Aro approached the driver's side, stared off temporarily into the distance, before slowly opening his door and sliding inside, "You weren't the only one affected by your attack. Directly you were, but indirectly, we all were impacted." He catches her side eye as he continues, "The changes in you are obvious. You're impulsive. You're full of anger. That's not normal for you, me, yeah, but not you."

"Now you're sounding like James…" she rolls her eyes.

Aro starts the car, but doesn't change gears, "I was arrested seventeen times since you moved away."

"Wait…" she turns to face him, "WHAT?"

"Are you really that surprised? I mean…I already had anger issues; your attack just intensified them. I seem to have the habit of jumping into fights when people mention you in a negative way. It's my downfall. And staying in a town where majority of the people think you're lying, I seem to have come across a lot of people who think lowly of you and your ability to tell the truth." Aro changes gears, and pulls onto the main, desolate road, "With you no longer living here, I guess I had no reason to play it safe. I defend you whether you're beside me, in another state or country. I'm telling you this because I want you to know that regardless of who you think has your back, just know that I always will."

"You and mom never mentioned it."

"Yeah, well, when I mention your former step-father to Brady, the handcuffs suddenly come off and the charges unexpectedly drop. I don't know what he does, but he managed to pull it off seventeen times. Brady sure knows how to cover things up."

"Don't I know it?"

He makes a slow turn, "I'm sorry. That was insensitive of me." Aro temporarily pulls his eyes off of the road. He takes in her expression before focusing forward, "You scared?"

"…maybe."

As the car pulls into the small, crowded parking lot of Jacob's bar, Aro reaches over and pats his daughter's hand, "I'll be beside you every step of the way."

"There are a lot of people here," she whispers as her father parks the car.

"Since when are you afraid of a large audience?"

"I'm not afraid," her hands fumbled together against her lap, "I just don't want all of their judgmental eyes on me."

He waves them off, "Screw them. You're perfect."

Rosalie scoffs, "Dad, you can only make excuses for me for so long before you start doubting me too. You'll eventually wise up," she pats his upper arm, before opening up the car door.

"Hey," he grabs her wrist before she can step outside, "I loved you since you took your first breath, and I'll love you until I take my last. Who cares what they all think of you? If Emmett doesn't wise up, then it's his loss."

"Thanks daddy."

Aro takes a hard grip of the steering wheel, sucks in a long breath and sporadically releases it. He hops out of his car, slams the door and locks it as they walk away. People smoking and drinking were lined up against the outside of Jacob's bar, talking loudly to one another about work, sports, and family, anything that came to mind. At the sight of Aro, most of them straightened up their stance, lowered their voices, and put out their cigarettes. Aro simply smiled.

"What are you doing?" Rosalie whispered as her father pulled the entrance door open.

"I was smiling at them."

Rose walked inside, "Why? Most of them don't like you."

"Well, that's why. I smile at people who don't like me because I am an asshole." She chuckles at his retort, "Want to see something cool?"

"What are you about to-"

Before her full question could be stated, Aro shoved two fingers into his mouth and whistled. Every single head turned to face him. And at the sight of him, Rosalie could positively say that every individual stopped talking; waiting to hear what Aro had to say. He dropped his hand, "This started happening after the sixth fight. I think they think that I have anger issues."

She set her hand against her forehead, "You don't say?"

"Alright everyone, where's Emmett?"

Once the question was posed, every finger raised and pointed towards the back of the bar. Seated at the furthest table from the front door was Emmett, drowning his misery in a glass of scotch. When Aro whistled, he didn't bother to look up. He was too focused on the fact that his glass was slowly losing contents of alcohol and Elizabeth had yet to come back with his refill.

Rosalie walked around her father and approached her husband. She pulled the chair out and took a seat, "We need to talk."

"I have nothing to say to you," he swallowed his last drops of scotch.

"When I first met you, I would have never guessed that we would become what we are."

Emmett shoved his empty glass away, "There are a lot of things we never would have guessed would happen, but they did."

"Don't do that."

He angrily smirks, "Don't do what?"

"Don't shrewdly bring up the negative. I know what things you are referring to and that's not fair of you to bring it up, especially because every time I mention it, you yell at me, get mad at me or ignore me. Do we have any chance of fixing this?"

"I don't know Rose," Emmett whispered, smiling up at Elizabeth as she set down another glass of scotch, "I want to, but I can't."

As Emmett brought the glass up to his lips, Rosalie reached forward and snatched it away, "No, we don't need this interfering in our conversation."

"He can have a little drink."

Rosalie ignored Elizabeth's comment, and continued speaking to her husband, "Em, sometimes I make the wrong decisions, sometimes I say the wrong thing and sometimes I blame the wrong person, but my intentions are always good." She sits the glass down and extends her free hand to rest over top of his, "Emmett, I've said my apologies, and there are only so many number of times I can say them before it becomes meaningless. Every apology that I have told you I meant, but I have to draw a line somewhere. I've always said that I'm not perfect. I have made some pretty bad mistakes, I've done stupid things that I will never forget, but at the end of the day, no one needs to judge me. I judge myself enough!" He slides his hand from under hers.

"Are you done?"

"I think," she nods.

"Good," he lifts his glass, "then you can leave."

Once again, Rosalie reaches forward and snatches the glass out of his hand. She heard Elizabeth scoff as she pulled a chair up to their table, "Rosalie, he wants you to leave."

"And I want you to stop taking advantage of the situation and making passes at my husband."

"I'm here as a friend," Elizabeth crossed one leg over the other, "Emmett's a big boy. He can make his own decisions. He can do what and who he wants to." The venom in her voice pulled Rosalie from her seat, "You easy, imprudent, desperate whore, I'm sorry that you've already screwed every guy in this town, but you stay away from mine!"

"…like I haven't heard that before."

"Why are you putting all of this energy into my husband? Won't you find a man and actually do something that normal people do? Have a nice, long relationship."

"I have had one before."

"Girl please, my phone battery last longer than your relationships"

"Alright," Aro walks over, grabs Elizabeth by the arm, "You're coming with me. We need to have a little chat outside." Elizabeth wasn't an idiot. She quietly rose to her feet, yanked her arm free of Aro's hold and followed him out of the bar.

"Emmett," Rose turned to face him, "I've made mistakes and so did you. I've forgiven you for all of yours. Can't you do the-"

"You lied to me. You went behind my back and betrayed me. You did the worst thing imaginable."

Her voice whispered, "the worst thing imaginable Emmett? For most people that's murder."

"…and it was because of you!"

"Why is it, when I try to talk to you about something you did, it always ends up being my fault? How did that happen? When did that happen?"

"When I realized how twisted and manipulative you are…"

"I made a lot of mistakes in my life, but you were never one of them, but yet, you treat me as if I was. What happened to you?"

"I'm glad to see you are okay. I'm happy that your father found you, but I'm done talking. Can you just go please? I want to be alone."

Rose looks around the bar, "Ha, you want to be alone. Here? Elizabeth will probably come back inside and bother you."

"I don't care."

"…of course you don't."

"None of these people remind me of what we did. She doesn't remind me of what I did."

"You know what, fine." Rosalie rises to her feet, "You want to use Elizabeth to get back at me, just remember that a troubled marriage is still a marriage. If you are that unhappy, you have two choices; fix it or finish it. Cheating isn't a valid option." Emmett looks up to meet her angered eyes, "I can't waste time begging for your forgiveness because I need to worry about getting us out of this mess. So, if you want to talk to me, you can start the conversation. I'm tired of giving the effort if all you are going to do is ignore me. I'm done being the bad guy. I'm out of here."

In her haste to leave, she bumps into the chair and it falls over. She pushes her way through the crowd, leaving a baffled Emmett in the distance. Rosalie pushed the door open, "Dad, let's go." She waved him to follow her, and without question, he did. He left Elizabeth and she reentered the bar, "How did it go?"

"I actually do feel a little better."

"Is it over between you two yet?"

She glares at him, "No dad. I simply said what was needed and I stormed out. I didn't really give him a chance to respond. He probably would have just asked me to leave again. Anyway, I needed to get that over with so I can focus on fixing this mess."

"How about you let me help? My method of getting things done actually works." Aro throws his arm around her shoulders as the two walk to his parked car.

"What did you have in mind?"

Aro grins down at his daughter, "Before I tell you my idea, you have to tell me everything. Start from the beginning and leave nothing out."

 **-Tiffany.**


	12. Under Arrest

As a determined and protective father, Aro was going to see his plan through. The level of success in his plan was going to be based upon whether his daughter's name is fully cleared, and he'll deem his plan lucky if Emmett and Jasper just happen to be cleared in the process. It's the following Monday since Rosalie arrived. It has been exactly two weeks since his daughter and Emmett graced the town with their presence. With all of the chaos going on, Brady had managed to hold Royce Jr. a little longer on some trumped up charges. And now, today was the day he was released. Brady could no longer hold him, which is the reason Aro is parked outside of the Forks police station, leaning against his car door.

When Royce Jr. exits the building, he's rubbing his wrists and squinting his eyes. The sunlight is beaming down upon him causing for him to raise his hand in order to block the bright stream of light. Aro pushes himself from his leaning form and begins approaching Royce Jr., "You can't avoid me." Ignoring the older man's voice, Royce Jr, began walking in the opposite direction of Aro. He had no intention of speaking to him or being in his presence. Royce Jr. just needed to get far away from Forks and find the police in Port Angeles.

"Royce," Aro shouts, "you do not want to ignore me."

"What do you want?" Royce Jr. stops.

"I'm here to pick you up, so follow me and hop inside."

"You won't change my mind."

"Change your mind about what?"

Royce Jr. smirks at him, "Change my mind about confessing. Brady arresting me only postponed the process. I'm telling the truth. I'm coming clean about Emmett and Jasper, and I'm telling the police about you, Lillian, Brady, Rose and Alice serving as an accomplice. I'm even going to mention my involvement because I can't live with this anymore."

"You'll confess even if it gets Rosalie into trouble."

Royce Jr. approached Aro and shook his head, "You don't get to use her against me."

"I know you care about her even if she hates you. You have always cared about her. You were more than a step-brother to her. You watched her when I was in prison. You've protected her. I know you don't want to see her life ruined…again."

He shakes his head, "You're trying to change my mind again."

"Yeah, well," Aro shrugs, "giving up is not an option when you have someone calling you dad."

"That's sweet…really it is, but you're not changing my mind." Royce Jr. began walking away, however the shout of Aro's voice pulled him to a stop.

"Your father deserved what he got…He hurt Rose…the woman you care for."

"Hold on let me see if I still care…Nope, sorry I don't."

Aro bit down upon his bottom lip as he watched Royce Jr. begin to walk off. He had no way of getting to Port Angeles if he walked. The drive was already long, and the walk would be even longer. Aro didn't care about his safety; however, it would be a little suspicious if something were to happen to him. They didn't need to have that problem too. They had enough issues to worry about. Aro walked up to Royce, "I thought you cared about her."

"I do…or I did, but my caring set all of this in motion."

Aro reached forward and grabbed his lower wrist, "No matter how much of a creep I think you are, you cared about her. You cared about her enough to be disgusted and ashamed of your father when you found out what he did."

"I don't care anymore."

"Picture the innocent little girl she was when you first came into her life."

"I don't care."

"Picture how vulnerable she was when you visited her in the hospital. She suffered enough."

"Just because I don't care doesn't mean I don't understand." Royce Jr. was assertive and he wasn't going to be intimidated by anyone, especially Aro. He served two weeks in jail for no reason because of them.

"Let me give you a ride…anywhere you want."

Aro walked the thirty-one year old to the passenger side, and before he opened the door, Royce Jr. took a hold of the handle, "I want to go to the Port Angeles police."

"I'll take you," Aro swatted his hand away and pulled the door open.

"If I accept, I'll probably end up missing, dead and in a ditch somewhere."

Aro raises his hands into the air and backs away, "You have my word. I won't lay a hand on you. I…I promise Royce. I'll just give you a ride." Rose's father smiles, "You can trust me."

"Wow," Royce Jr. grins suspiciously, "You haven't yelled at me, threatened me or hit me already. Your mood has more swings than a playground. I never know what to expect with you."

"You can trust me. You're right in wanting to tell the truth. I won't stop you."

"Why?" Royce Jr. stared into the orbs of the oldest Hale, "You were against it at first. Why would you give me a ride without trying to stop me from confessing?"

"…because I want you to tell the police. I want you to tell them everything."

* * *

"It's okay that you have trust issues, just don't start accusing me of shit when I have never given you any reason to." Jasper was angry. He was practically pacing holes into the carpet in his living room as Rosalie sat on the center cushion in his three-seater couch, "You're supposed to keep me in the loop…about everything. We can't afford to keep secrets. When did you fill your father in? And what's his plan?"

"I filled him in a little over a week ago…and I don't know." She shrugs as Jasper sighs.

His hand smacks against his forehead as the speed of his pacing increases. Jasper wanted those in the loop to be kept at the bare minimum. He already had to worry about Maggie. He didn't want to have to worry about Aro too. Rosalie rose to her feet, "Just relax. My dad wants what's best for us."

"No," he shakes his head, "He wants what's best for you and him."

"Jasper, you can trust me."

He stops pacing, "I do. It's your father that I don't trust." Jasper places his hands upon her shoulders and holds her in place, "He'll throw us all under the bus just to protect you."

"My dad's not that mean. If he says he's going to get us out of this mess, then he will. I have faith in him, and so should you."

Jasper's hands drop from her shoulders. He watches her take a seat on the couch again. One leg crossed over the other as she pulls her cell phone from her purse. Jasper begins pacing again, "You can be a little naïve and a little too trustworthy."

Rose looks up in confusion, "You just said I have trust issues."

"You have trust issues with the wrong people. You can trust me."

"I can trust my dad too."

"…so you think."

"He won't screw me over."

He chuckles sarcastically, "I know that. We all know that, but you didn't kill anyone. You have nothing to lose. Even if you got arrested, no jury would convict you. You were raped, you couldn't walk and you were healing from a stroke. They would be heartless to hold you accountable for OUR actions," Jasper takes a seat next to her, ", but that doesn't mean Aro would take that chance. He would protect your reputation before he would protect my freedom."

"My dad's a smart man Jasper. You shouldn't underestimate him and what he's capable of."

"That's the thing," Jasper runs his hand through his medium length dirty blonde hair, "I don't. I know what Aro is capable of. I know he's willing to do anything to protect you, even if it means screwing me and Emmett over. You may not have to look over your shoulder when it comes to him, but I do. My freedom is on the line. And Rose, if I go down, I'll make sure you go down with me."

"You can trust him." Rose nods her head assertively, "I'm sure of it."

Once the words left Rose's mouth, a smaller voice echoed from the hallway, "You should believe her," Alice walked along the short hallway and entered the living room, "If anyone knows Aro, it's Rose. You should trust her and Aro…I do."

"Does this mean you're talking to me now?" Rose gave her best friend a small smile. It's been almost two whole weeks since she spoke and saw Alice. Alice was definitely getting her much needed personal space.

Alice approaches Rose, "I know that you are aware of the fact that I don't need you. I choose to stay and I can choose to leave too." Rosalie rose to her feet, and Alice used her small arms to swallow the slightly taller woman into a hug, "I know you understood that, but with that said, I missed you…so much! It killed me to not be able to talk to you."

"When I said I was sorry, I meant it," Rosalie's arms tightened around Alice's shorter physique, "I should have told you. I should have kept you in the loop. We don't keep secrets from each other and I'm sorry that I did! I'm so sorry!"

Alice whispered against her best friend's shoulder, "I forgive you. I forgive you."

The two pulled apart. Eyes full of happy tears. A strong smile plastered across their faces. The two young adults were beaming happiness and content. Rosalie used the back of her hand to wipe at her eyes, "There's so much I wanted to talk to you about. I felt so alone without you in my life. I love you Al."

"I love you too Rose," Alice took a hold of her friend's hand, and pulled her towards the couch, "Okay, so what's been going on? Your life is never dull so I'm sure I've missed out on a lot."

"Can you two catch up later?" Jasper interjected.

Ignoring Jasper's request, Rosalie started, "Besides the fact that my husband isn't speaking to me and my brother can barely look at me, it's been…going horrible. I've been hanging with Bella a lot lately."

"You have?"

Rose nods.

"And?"

"And what?" Rose smiles, "There's nothing to say. She's…an acquaintance."

"You have to learn to forgive," Alice whispers, patting Rose's hand, "How do you expect to be forgiven if you can't forgive others yourself?"

"I try…every time I met up with her, but I just can't get my mind around why she did what she did. She says it was to protect her father, but even if Charlie did do it, he wouldn't deserve protection. I was brought in barely alive and destroying evidence; she truly believed she was helping a monster. Who does that? How do you forgive that?"

Alice could see the emotion rising in her friend's voice. She pat her hand against Rosalie's knee in order to keep her calm, "Let's change the subject. What's been going on with Maggie? Have either of you gotten any word?"

"Besides them wanting me to confess to killing Royce Sr-"

"Wait," Alice looked back and forth between her husband and best friend, "they asked you to confess…and you actually did?"

"…Yeah"

"Sweetie, sometimes the padding in your bra can be bigger than your brain."

"Hey!"

"…but I love you anyway."

Rosalie crossed her arms, "Just because you said you love me, doesn't make the insult any less insulting. You're lucky I can take it."

"You're obviously not in jail so…"

"They didn't believe one word of it. They simply entertained the conversation. It wasn't that interesting…the interesting part came from Brady confronting me. He knew what Jasper and I did…and I don't know how. I can't picture anyone telling him."

Alice raises her hand, "I surely didn't. I don't talk to that man."

"Smart."

"What did Brady say?"

"The usual," Rosalie shrugs, "He insulted me, called me a few names, and then threatened me a little. Nothing surprising…"

"You're not scared?"

"Of what? Brady."

"Yeah," Alice stood up, "he's a powerful man. I wouldn't take his threats lightly."

"I'm not worried."

"…you should be though. You and I both know that he doesn't care about you. He doesn't care about any of us. We have no idea what he's planning…and if he attacks, you're probably the first on his list."

Rose smirks, "I know…I'm shaking in my boots!"

"This is serious Rosalie! Does your father know?"

The young Hale stood up next, "Yeah, my father knows everything."

"Is he going to do something? Is he going to…you know?"

"No," Rosalie shakes her head immediately, "Even if he wanted to, I wouldn't let him. No more killing. No more."

"…maybe Brady can be an exception."

"No more killing."

"Aro can make it look like an accident or suicide."

"…no more killing!"

Alice slowly stepped towards her best friend, "Aro wouldn't do it if we tried to convince him, but you Rose…he'll do anything you ask. He'll do anything."

"I'm not sending my father to kill anyone. I won't do it."

"…then we'll either die or get locked up."

At the end of Alice's fear filled words, a knock suddenly beats against the front door. The door is shaking on its hinges as announcement shouts of the police were heard through the barrier. Rosalie raced across her friends' living room, and pulled the door open, "What's going on?" The police ignored her words and raided into the home of her closest friends.

Alice backs up into the wall as she watches two armed officers tackle her husband to the ground. They pull his arms behind his back and immediately begin reading him his rights, "What's going on?" Alice repeats Rose's earlier shout.

Detective Thomas enters the home, "We have a warrant for Mr. Whitlock's arrest." He holds up the arrest warrant before turning to face Rosalie, "My partner and a few other officers are already on their way to your in-laws house to arrest Emmett."

"You can't do this!" Rose races up to the detective.

"According to this warrant, we can. We have a confession. You two," he points at Alice and Rose, "should be happy that we're not arresting you." He glares at Rosalie, "You were willing to go to prison for your husband. I don't know why it didn't click. I should have stuck to my gut. I knew you were protecting someone. We only have a warrant for the arrest of Mr. Cullen and Mr. Whitlock, but believe me when I say, I'll be back with another warrant for you, your mother, your father and you," he turns to point at Alice, "Let's go." He waves for the officers to escort Jasper out of the apartment.

"I'm calling our lawyer Jasper!" Alice shouts from her position in the living room. She only hoped that he heard her from the hallway of the apartment building.

Rose pulls out her cell as the front door slams closed, "I'm calling my father." She watches as her friend rushes into the master bedroom in order to make a private phone call to their attorney. Rosalie remains in the living room and quickly dials her father's number, "Come on…pick up…pick up."

"Well if it isn't my favorite daughter…"

"Dad, it worked. Jasper and Emmett just got arrested." Her voice was barely above a whisper.

Aro nodded from the other end of the phone and sighed in relief, "Good."

"He threatened to arrest me next."

"You know I won't let that happen."

"What's next?"

"...don't worry about it."

 **-Tiffany.**


	13. No More Mrs Nice Girl

**Prologue**

The last high heel suddenly falls off her feet as she limps up to the front door. It's cracked open. She pushes it open, and slams it shut behind her. Her hands immediately lock each latch and out of immediate relief, she leans her back against the door and catches her breath.

The woman doesn't have much time to catch her breath. Her feet are bare and a little scraped up. She runs her hands through her long hair in an attempt to think hard and remember where she left her cell phone. As slow seconds pass, she spots it. It's on top of the fireplace. After guaranteeing that each latch on the front door was locked, she races over to the fireplace, and the moment she runs one foot, her foot trips and she abruptly falls down…onto something…into something. She lifts up and feels a running liquid splattered against her face and dress. And as soon as she pulls her hands away to realize the liquid is blood, she takes in the sight around her.

She wants to scream. She wants to run away, but she can't. Instead, she glances down and feet away from the large blood pool is a body. Without a second thought, she crawls through the blood and approaches the body. It's the mayor. It's Jared. Her eyes scan his body and she notices the large knife penetrating his chest. The woman presses two fingers against his pulse. He's barely alive. Her hands begin shaking with each grunt the mayor releases.

"What do I do?"

He can barely talk, "Help."

"If I call the police, they'll know where I am. They'll kill me." Her subconscious hears banging. Her mind is playing tricks on her. The woman immediately pulls the knife from Jared's chest and she rises to her feet, "Okay, I'll call the police…just hold on. Don't die. You can't die." He's starting to turn pale.

The woman steps over the mayor, uses her bloodied hands to grab her cell and she hesitantly begins calling the police. When the dispatcher begins talking, she hears Jared begin coughing. She runs back to her prior seating position, places her hands against his wound and begins applying immediate pressure. She wasn't a doctor, and because of that, she could only hope that pressing her hands against his bleeding wound would help.

 **Ten Weeks Ago**

It has been two days since the arrest of Emmett and Jasper, and currently Rosalie and Alice are impatiently waiting in the lobby of the Port Angeles courthouse for the release of their husbands. Moments before, the two young men were in court and received the terms set for their bail and their next court date. The moment bail was set, Rosalie left out of the courtroom in order to pay the total, "What's taking them so long?" Alice rises from the hard, wooden chair.

"I don't know," Rosalie wraps her arm around her best friend's shoulder, "the money is paid."

Alice turns to look at her, "Thanks for that by the way. Thank you for paying Jasper's bail too. We didn't have the money."

"Don't worry about it."

Before Alice could respond, their husbands and lawyer approach. Alice meets Jasper half way, throws her arms around his neck and presses her lips roughly against his. She begins pecking around his face as he tries to embarrassingly swat her away, "Not here babe."

"Are you okay?" Rose approaches her husband.

Emmett scratches the back of his head, "Yeah. Thanks for paying bail."

"Don't mention it. It's our money. I would never let you rot back there until your court date."

Jason, their lawyer, approached the two couples, "The court date is in a month. Before then, there will be a grand jury trial, and I'm feeling pretty confident about the case. The only witness we have is Royce Jr. and I can attack his credibility, especially since he confessed about his involvement as well. I'm working closely with Aro to-"

"Wait," Jasper turns to face Rosalie, "Why is your father involved?"

"Let Jason finish," Alice interjected, "go ahead Jason. What were you saying?"

"It's Royce Jr.'s word against all of yours. That's all you need to know."

Rose extends her hand, "Thank you." The lawyer shakes it before departing from the courthouse.

The busy and bustling courthouse flocked with individuals roaming amongst the premises. Most were passing time until their trial started and others were searching for their assigned courtroom.

"I know you want to talk Jasper, but can we talk about this later. It's a drive back and we should really hit the road," Rose pulls out a pair of car keys, "Okay, so I was tired of borrowing my dad's car, so I rented one." She dangles the car keys.

"We drove up separately," Alice mentions, handing Jasper his pair of keys, "I had to make a few stops on the way and Rose was too impatient to wait."

The two couples walked out of the courthouse and down the front concrete stairs. Rosalie holds the keys out to her husband, "We'll see you at my parents' house. I'm parked this way." He's hesitant at first. He watches Jasper and Alice walk the opposite way and contemplates whether he truly wants to be stuck with his wife for a 45 to an hour long drive. Within seconds, Emmett has made his decision. He takes the keys from her, uses the button on the keys to unlock the car door, and follows the sound towards the car that matched.

Before Rosalie has a chance to buckle her seat belt, Emmett's already buckled in, and pulling the car out of the parking space. He turns into the main road, merges into the lane leading towards the highway, and finally cruises the car at the speed limit.

"Are we going to talk?"

Emmett sighs while keeping his eyes on the road, "There's nothing to talk about."

"There's a lot to talk about."

"How about you talk and I listen?" Emmett glances at the side mirror before switching lanes.

"We won't get anywhere then. We both need to talk because this needs to stop. It's almost been three weeks. If we want this relationship to work, we have to put in work. Ignoring each other and walking around with an attitude won't do it."

Emmett inhales another large breath before releasing an even larger one, "It's been hard staying mad at you, but it hasn't been impossible. I've been betrayed before, but not by someone I love so much. We've known each other for as long as I can remember! You're my high school sweetheart! I couldn't…I can't imagine my life without you. If I seem like I have put up a wall in order to distance myself from you, it's for a reason. If I choose to let it down, it's because I trust you. Don't ruin that."

"I won't."

"…but you already did."

"Emmett, where does this leave us? Because I'm tired of the guessing game! You wanted time, I gave you that. You wanted space, I gave you that too. I don't know what else I can offer. Where do we stand? Do I have a chance of forgiveness? Because if I don't, why should I bother trying to earn it?"

"…because you're the one who needs it!"

"A marriage takes two and I'm tired of working twice as hard to fill the hole you aren't helping with! I can't fix this by myself!"

"I can't fix what I didn't break!"

She nods, "You're right." Her voice takes on a solemn tone, "And I can't fix what I'm assuming you consider damaged beyond repair. I know you don't want to be the one to say it because the initiator is always shunned in the town, but like you said, we've known each other forever, and if you honestly want a divorce, I'll talk to my lawyer and present you with the papers."

Emmett doesn't respond immediately. He quietly drives the car and switches lanes until he pulls upon the shoulder. Not many cars are on the road, mainly because this road leads to Forks, and their small town does not get frequent travelers. He turns the car off, pulls the keys out of the ignition and drops them into the cup holder, "I don't want a divorce."

A part of her sighs in immediate relief, "…then what do you want? I'm all out of ideas here."

"I don't know Rose." Emmett unbuckles his seatbelt and turns his body to fully face her.

"Okay," she slowly nods, smiling mildly, "I guess that's a start."

"I'm angry at you. I'm upset with you, but I don't want a divorce. You can take that idea out of your head."

"Consider it gone."

"This is so complicated."

"Marriage has the habit of being that way."

"I love you, but I'm extremely mad at you at the same time."

"It's the story of my life."

"I try every day to put it behind us, but it's hard."

"I appreciate that. I'm glad you're telling me, but without anyone else's happiness in mind, but your own, what do you want?"

"I just," he's clenching his fists, and unclenching them seconds later, "Rose, I want," she's listening carefully, trying to interpret what he wants to say, "Rose…I…screw it," he places his hand behind her head, "come here." Emmett's large hand pushes her head in closer and his lips instantly meet hers.

The want, the need, the aggression, the passion, the love and the betrayal was mixed together in their desperate attempt to release their urges. It's been entirely too long for the both of them. Seconds transformed into minutes and against their want, they needed to pull apart for air. Eyes bearing into eyes, the young married couple gathered as much breath as they could, before thrashing into each other once again. Desperate hands pulled at the fabric of their clothes as the two refused to pull away from each other. This was a long time coming, and Rose didn't know whether or not it was going to change anything, but she honestly didn't care. She missed him. She missed every part of him. And when he throws her shirt to the floor of the car, she can tell that he missed her too.

* * *

"I don't understand why you didn't tell me the plan before you started going through with it," Lillian whispered, standing face to face with Aro, "I might not be completely involved in your plan, but just make sure, you keep your word with Rose. Clear her husband and friend's name…please Aro."

The pitch of Aro's voice matched that of Lillian's low tone, "Our first concern should be Rose."

"And it is," their faces rested inches apart, "but Emmett and Jasper are family too."

Aro pulls back, "To you they are, to me, they're not."

"Just please keep your word. She would never forgive you if you got her husband and Jasper arrested. Please Aro…for me, and for her."

The two immediately stepped apart from one another as James walked into the dining room. The smile on his face is wide. It's beaming with approval. James approaches Aro and pats his shoulder, "I found out what happened last night. I'm upset that I had to find out from people at a bar and not my own family, but nonetheless, I'm proud, especially of you Aro," he turned to face his sister's father, "You finally did something right. You finally see it from my perspective. They should pay for what they did."

"I'm not discussing this with you."

"How come my own family didn't tell me?" He glanced at his mother.

Aro shakes his head, "You're not family."

"To my mom and Rose, I am."

"…then act like it." Aro crosses his arms and straightens his stance.

James immediately approaches Aro. He wanted to actually try and squash whatever issue they had with each other, especially since justice is actually being served, however it seemed as if Aro was against the idea. James noticed his mother attempt to raise her hands in order to pull him away, but he needed for Aro to understand one thing.

"No matter how much me and my family disagree, I'll always be family. I'll always be in my mother's life just like I'll always be in Rose's." he points towards Lillian, "She's my mother. She's not going anywhere, and unlike you, she can't divorce me."

"You need to watch what you say."

James shakes his head briskly, "It's not what I say; it is how you take it."

"And I'm taking it as you being disrespectful," Aro is remaining calm. There are three things in life that he refuses to joke around about…and those three things are his daughter, his past experiences and his relationship with Lillian.

"You can't handle a little disrespect Aro? How did you survive in prison?"

"I don't know," Aro shrugs his shoulders, "Maybe if you ask your own father he can tell you."

James instantly steps forward, hands clenched and at his side, however his mother places herself between the two. From over his mother's shoulder, James shouts, "You can stand there and act smug as much as you want, but it doesn't take away from the fact that you are a murderer. You are lower than scum, and there's nothing you can do to get back the years of your daughter's life that you missed out on. You'll never get those years back! You can try and overcompensate as much as you want, but it doesn't take away from the fact that for a moment in time, Royce Sr. was her father. He raised her for a period; he got to see her when she woke up and before she went to sleep. She had family dinners with him, and as much as I know it will kill you, for all intents and purposes, he was her father." And that was it. That was the last straw. Before James could continue his tormenting statement, Aro reached over Lillian, gripped the former veteran by the shirt, pulled him towards him and slammed his back against the nearest wall, "You think you're so tough, huh?" Aro pulls him forward and slams his back against the wall again. He ignored Lillian's orders to let her son go as he continued, "You're a little boy. Your father was in prison your whole life so you never got to learn how to be a man…or in this case, whatever your father perceives as being an actual man."

The young man squirms roughly under Aro's grip, "Thank you for reminding me of why I don't feel guilty for the fact that I cannot stand you. Your words don't bother me Aro. You'll have to find another tactic to hurt me." And so, he did. Aro released James' shirt, withdrew his hand, clenched it into a fist and struck the young man once…and then suddenly twice in the face.

Lillian gathers herself, pushes the shock to the back of her mind as her motherly instincts kicked in. She pushed through Aro and approached the immediate bruising face of her son.

"You better watch your back James," Aro threatens from over Lillian's shoulder as she scanned the discoloration on her son's face, "I'm not like your sister. I won't back down the moment your little feelings get hurt. I won't apologize the second you want to cry. However, since you are my daughter's brother, I will give you a little word of advice, you do not want me for an enemy."

"Aro, that's ENOUGH!" Lillian's words are filled with anger and rage. Her motherly instincts want to drag Aro by the ear and throw him outside, but they had plans to work on, so she chose to allow him to stay. Lillian is facing her son as she continues to scan his face, "Aro, you really need to learn how to not allow things to get to you! For someone who claims to be so tough, you surely do get your feelings hurt easily. Damn it Aro," she drops her hands from her son and turn to face her daughter's father, "You are extremely lucky that I am so terrified of going to prison because I would kill you right now." She shoves him in the chest, "You are such an insensitive jerk! And you make it really hard to love you! Come on James," she turns back to her son, "let's get something frozen on your face to stop the swelling."

Aro watches as Lillian slowly walks her son out of the dining room and into the kitchen. He's prepared to follow and continue the conversation; however, he hears his cell phone ringing in the living room. Aro was expecting a call, and after walking into the living room and lifting his cell from the end table, he reads the name across the screen, "Hello Maggie."

"Hi Aro. I have what you asked for."

"Where are you now?" He takes a seat at the edge of the couch.

"I'm on my way. I'm a little over half an hour from your house."

"Okay, I'll see you here soon." And before he could hang up, he heard his mother call out his name, "Yes?"

"Thank you for reaching out to me."

* * *

Her body is lying on top of his as she lifts up to catch her breath. Rose's lips are pinkly numb as her hands run through her wild blonde hair. She rolls to the side, and adjusts her body against his form. The backseat of the rental vehicle was spaciously comfortable. As their legs are tangled together on top of the leather seats, she's looking into his orbs, and appreciating how blessed she truly is, "Emmett, I really am sor-" His lips pressing against hers interrupts her apology. He was done with the apologies. He didn't want to hear them anymore.

"If you haven't noticed," he eyes their naked physiques, "I already forgave you." The dimples in his cheeks deepen as the grin on his face widens, "You are already forgiven." He leans forward and pecks her forehead, "How could I not forgive you when we," He doesn't finish his statement and chooses to give her the biggest grin and flirtiest wink he could muster.

Rosalie chuckles, "Are you just saying that because I paid your bail money?"

"No," Emmett genuinely laughs, "I've missed you. I've missed everything about you. And I've missed the sex…sex is like air, it's not important unless you aren't getting any" She adjusts her head against his shoulder as her eyes bear into his, "I've missed you for a while, but I think my pride and the hurt I've felt had gotten in the way." He brushes a strand of hair out of her face, "I've been talking with my mom and it's hard for her to give me advice when I can't give her all the details."

"I'm sorry Em."

"You have to stop apologizing. I forgive you. I don't blame you anymore."

She intertwines her hand with his, "It's easier said than done. I really hurt you, and for that I'm sorry. I want to be completely honest with you now."

"Okay," he brings her hand up to his lips and presses a kiss against each knuckle, "tell me."

"My dad allowed Royce Jr. to confess." She wraps her arm around his bare chest, "Alice and Jasper don't know, but he figured if Royce Jr. was going to confess, he might as well be in control of how it plays out. In this case, you and Jasper had to get arrested, but he's got another plan. This isn't the end…that's why your lawyer has to contact my father."

"And what is that?" Emmett is calm. He isn't trying to remain calm because he doesn't need to. He's truly content with her in his arms, telling him the truth as she knows it.

"I'm not sure yet. He hasn't told me. All I know is that he was going to allow Royce Jr. to confess and that you and Jasper would most likely be arrested. When we get back to my mom's house, we can ask. I'm sure he has thought of something."

"Okay," he uses the tip of his fingers to lightly brush up her bare back.

She raises an eyebrow, "Okay? You're not mad."

"No, because you're telling me the truth and you're keeping me in the loop. That's all I want. That's all I ask. I forgave you, and with forgiveness I won't hold your past mistake over your head…you taught me that."

Rosalie bites along her bottom lip and uses her free hand to run her fingers through his curly hair. She snuggles against him, "Most people my age are dating different people, getting their hearts broken and just scatterbrained, but with you, I'm kind of stable in a sense. How did I get so lucky?"

"No, how did I get so lucky?"

"Now you're just being extra nice. Considering these last few weeks, I never would have thought you would consider being married to me as lucky."

"The same can be said for me too. I wasn't the easiest person to earn forgiveness from. You were very persistent…and your little squabble with Elizabeth was a bit entertaining."

"My little squabble?" Rose chuckles, "That's putting it nicely. That woman gets under my skin and you know that! And you were really trying to press my buttons with that…of all the women to befriend, you chose the town slut."

"You had nothing to worry about."

"Oh," her eyes grow wide as she laughs softly, "I know I didn't. Of all the people to leave me for, she isn't high on the list of potential threats.

"People in the bar had come up to me after your little showdown with her. They were truly entertained. They didn't realize how funny you are."

She shakes her head in disbelief, "I'm actually not that funny. I'm just mean and people think I'm joking."

"It's just one of the reasons why I love you."

"…and that's just one of the reasons why we belong together."

Emmett grins at her statement, leans his head down and kisses her gently, passionately…and as the seconds tick by, the passion turns into something stronger, something needier. Emmett pulls her back on top of him as their lips refuse to disconnect. He needed her just as much as she needed him. No matter what happened in their lives, he had to remind himself of that. Rosalie can see through him, as he her.

* * *

Lillian swings open the door, and outside getting drenched by the newly started rain was Maggie. The older woman rushed into the house, pulled the soaking jacket from her arms, and tossed it onto the coatrack. Maggie's peppered gray hair, which was usually placed in a pristine bun atop her head was slowly coming loose and sticking to the side of her wet face.

"Hey Maggie," Lillian approached the woman with open arms.

Maggie hugged her in return, "What did I miss?" The two pulled apart and Maggie took in the two other people in the room. She noticed the side-eye Lillian passed Aro's way, "What happened?" Maggie stepped further into the house and spotted James, sitting on the couch, holding a bag of frozen peas up to his swelling face.

Maggie held the case file in her hands. It was slightly damp from the storm brewing outside, but it was still readable. She took one step towards Aro, "I can see you're upset, but hopefully this makes you feel better," She holds up the file, "My husband left it out last night and I made a copy of what was in it."

Lillian grins from behind Maggie, reaches forward and snatches the folder from her grip, "This is great Maggie! Now we can pick holes through Royce's confession."

"No," James rises from the couch and lowers the bag of peas, "We should let the justice system run its course."

"James…honey," Lillian walks towards him, and pulls him back down onto the couch, "we're going to pick holes through his confession and make it look like he lied. We want the police to think that Royce Jr. is trying to frame Emmett and Jasper in order for him to stay out of prison and get revenge."

"That plan sounds stupid. I don't want a part of it."

"Great," Aro applauds, sarcastically, "I think we all can accept that. You just need to keep your mouth shut and carry on your business. How about you go visit that wife of yours?"

"What if it backfires? What if there are no holes in his confession?"

"…then oh well, my main goal is to clear any involvement my daughter had."

"So," James lowers the peas again, "you don't care what happens to Emmett and Jasper?"

"No," Aro shakes his head.

Lillian sets the file down, "…he doesn't, but I do."

"Selfish."

Aro heard the insult that James spat. He crossed the room, and when Lillian stepped towards him threateningly, he raised his hands, "I'm not going to hit your son. I just wanted to talk to him. I want him to understand the meaning of selfish. For me to be selfish, I would be concerned and devoted only to myself and my needs, not the needs of someone else. I place my daughter's needs above any and every one…and that's not selfish."

"You don't care about anyone else, other than yourself."

"I don't think he understands me," Aro grins, "I thought of this plan. If it works, then that's great because Emmett and Jasper get to remain free. If it doesn't, well that's great too, because my daughter will be safe regardless of how this plays out. And I don't think you give me enough credit for the fact that I do all of this unmedicated because I'm pretty sure that it's just a matter of time before they add the word syndrome after my name."

Before anyone in the room could respond, there's a knock on the door. Maggie opens the door to see a soaking wet Alice and Jasper standing on the other side. The young couple rushes into the home and shed themselves of their jackets and umbrellas.  
"From the looks on everyone's faces, we've obviously missed something. What's up?"

"I'll tell you what's up," James tosses the bag of peas to the side as he rises up, "Aro is-"

"What happened to your face?"

"That's not important right now," James quickly approached the couple, "…what is important is the fact that Aro is going to screw all of you over."

* * *

Rosalie and Emmett gasped for breath as the two pulled away from each other once again. Her eyes glance out of the backseat window and she notices the sun is starting to set. It's dark along a semi-deserted street. Rosalie wipes a lipstick stain from her husband's cheek, "We should get dressed and get out of here. Everyone is probably wondering where we are."

"I have a better idea," Emmett strengthens his hold around her waist, "How about we go for round four? That's a much better idea."

"My phone died and my dad is probably freaking out."

Emmett shrugs, "I'm sure he can handle being without your presence for a few more hours."

"We should really get home."

"…this isn't our home. Seattle is home."

She smiles, "You're right," she leans in and brushes her lips across his.

"…and you're right too, we should head home. We should go back to Seattle."

Emmett sits up, facing his wife, as her legs are wrapped around his waist. Her bare chest is pressed against his as the tips of her fingers play with the curly strands of hair at the nape of his neck, "I don't want this moment to end." The sun is setting and the setting sunlight is beaming on the young couple. His lips gently brush against hers, "It doesn't have to end." His hands caress her face as his forehead rests upon hers, "How about we start the car and drive far away?"

"We can't do that," she brings her hands to cover his as his large palms rest against her face.

"Why not?"

"They'll think we're running away."

"Aren't we?"

Her head shakes rapidly, "No!"

Rosalie's head turns away from him. The sun is continually setting and soon enough they'll be surrounded by absolute darkness. Emmett nudges her face to look at him again, "We have the funds."

"That's beside the point!"

"Why can't we run?"

"Because you'll look guilty!"

"I am guilty!"

An immediate bout of silence followed. She bites down on her lower lip and takes in his anxious and panicked expression. Soon enough, she brings her hands up to caress his face, "He deserved it."

"That doesn't take away from me killing him."

"You're right," she whispers as her hands slowly fall from his face.

"I guess getting arrested and the threat of divorce was a wakeup call."

"Wakeup call for what?"

"I don't want to lose you. I not only killed someone. I covered it up. I'll get life."

She takes a hold of his large hands, "…then I'll wait for you!"

"I can't ask you to do that! You're 22 and who knows if I'll ever get out?"

Emmett reaches over her and grabs his shirt. She pulls her naked form away from his as the couple silently starts to get dressed. It was getting dark fast, and they needed what was left of the sunlight to finish getting ready.

"Em, we can't leave." She clasps her bra together, "My dad is figuring this all out."

He reaches forward, turns her head to face his, and leans in closer. Their faces are millimeters apart, "I'm sorry for blaming you for what I did."

"I have no interest in being with anyone else," she briefly pecks his lips, "You're the only guy for me…forever and always." His hand makes its way to the back of her head. He gently brings her in for another kiss.

The tips of his fingers brush down her back. She shudders at the touch of his fingers, and smiles lightly against his lips, "We can't wait that long again. I've been mean lately…maybe all I needed was a good lay."

"You and me both," he can barely keep his hands off of her semi-clothed body, "I love being married…especially to you."

"Yeah, it's so great to find that one special person we want to annoy for the rest of our lives." Rose pulls away again, adjusts her bra strap, before reaching for her shirt, "We should really get out of here."

"We'll go back to your parents' house, but one night this week let's stay in a hotel."

She watches him start to get dressed, "I would like that."

The two silently finish getting dressed. Emmett gets into the driver's seat as his wife gets into the passenger seat. She tries countless times to turn her phone on, but it's completely dead. Emmett pulls out of the shoulder lane and back onto the main road, "Your phone is ringing." She reaches over the arm rest and digs into his pocket, "I got it," she pulls his phone out, "It's my dad." She answers the phone on speaker, "Hello?"

"Where are you?"

Rose meets her husband's eyes, "We stopped for food and now we're stuck in traffic."

"Look I know you're lying, but I don't care about that right now." Aro heads into the master bedroom, "We have a problem." He summarizes everything that happened in order to quickly fill her in, "Alice is currently giving me the silent treatment, but I don't give a damn about that. She and Jasper know the semi-truth. I kept your involvement out of it. I didn't tell them that you knew about the arrest before it happened."

"What do they know?"

Within minutes, Aro tells Rose everything. He informs her of Maggie's involvement, his fight with James, James telling Alice and Jasper everything, and even his truthful motives behind what he's doing. Once he completely informs her, she draws in a silent breath, "Dad-"

"I know you're upset, but-"

"You're damn right I'm upset!"

"Watch your mouth. You don't talk to me like that…and you're not supposed to like me, I'm your father." Aro asserts, as Emmett averts his eyes from his wife and back onto the road, "I'm only trying to protect you, and when you grow up and my job is done, then maybe we can be BFFs, but until then…get over it."

"You're trying to get my husband and Jasper locked up!"

Aro sighs in bemusement, "You obviously don't understand. I'm not setting out to get them in trouble, but if my plan backfires and they do…then that's it. I am only helping because of what we…meaning me, you and your mother…have to lose."

"Dad, this conversation is far from over."

Aro laughs, "…I think it is. I'll see you when you get home." He hangs up.

Emmett turns off onto the Forks highway exit. It shouldn't be long until they get back to her parents' house, especially because there is never any traffic on the road to Forks. Emmett switches lanes safely, before glancing at his frustrated wife, "Your father is a psychopath."

"No," she shakes her head as her eyes glance down to her lap, "he's been tested."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah, before he went to prison and then a few months after he was released. He's stubborn, mean and a bit narcissistic, but that's about it." She looks up to meet her husband's side eye, "He cares, but just about himself, me, my mom and his brothers…you, occasionally." He laughs in return, "Your dad is one scary and complicated man."

"Tell me something I don't know."

"You're amazing," they drive pass Jacob's bar, and minutes following, the car turns onto the street of her parents' residence, "and I actually wouldn't want to be Aro right now."

"He thinks the conversation is over, but he's going to hear what I have to say. Everyone cowers, but I don't. I might not have the balls to do it, but I damn sure have the breasts to pull it off."

"You sure do," he glances down flirtatiously.

"Okay, don't be gross. He's my dad. I was using it metaphorically speaking."

The car is placed in park and once Rose registers her outside surroundings, she realizes it's raining. She opened the passenger side door, waited for Emmett to step out before she did, and the two jogged up to the front door, "I hear yelling." Rose whispered, before pushing open the front door. And the yelling she heard was definitely not what she expected. It looked like the next world war was taking place in her house. Jasper and Aro were shouting at one another, Maggie and James were having it out while Alice and Lillian were screaming obscenities at the other. Rosalie says nothing. She simply looks at her husband, counts to three silently, and then slams the door behind her. The loud, shaking door silenced everyone in the house.

"What the heck is going on?" She looks around at the angered faces.

"I found out Aro was going to double cross all of us," Alice was the first to speak up.

"I was originally, but your mother changed my mind."

Rosalie runs her hand through her damp hair. She maneuvers through her friends and family in her quest to approach her father. And once she stood before him, she grabbed his arm and pulled him away. Everyone stood in the living room and watched as they disappeared down the hallway, and seconds following their departure, they heard a door slam.

 **-Tiffany.**


	14. On His Behalf

Rosalie was cuddled against her husband's side as they watched some horror flick he chose to play on the hotel's television. She has been hiding out at a hotel in Port Angeles for the last week. Since the falling out with her father, she didn't want to see him. She chose to stay in a hotel until she calmed…it just happened to take longer than she expected. She truly understood how Emmett felt when the person you least expect to betray you actually does. Rose shifts in her husband's arms as she thinks about that night, six days ago.

 _As hard as she could, she slams the door shut behind her. Her father was not amused and he was definitely not shaken. He rolled his sleeves up, "Do you always have to make a scene?"_

" _You lied to me."_

" _Don't be so dramatic," he smirks._

" _Dad, we're at that awkward stage between birth and death, and I really do not want to waste this stage arguing with you," he's not making eye contact as he rolls up his other sleeve, "We had an agreement…and you broke it! You were willing to throw my husband under the bus!"_

"… _for you! You keep forgetting the one important detail! I did this for you!"_

 _Aro takes a seat on the edge of his daughter's bed. His arms are crossed and resting against his chest. He's completely unfazed by his daughter's angered pacing, "You're not a parent. You don't understand the risks that I am willing to take in order to protect you. You're mad at me now, but I'm okay with that because you're fine, physically and mentally speaking."_

" _I think I need glasses or something," she looks at her father in disbelief, "because it seems that everyone in this freaking town that I look at has two faces…including you."_

" _Ouch."_

" _Daddy I trusted you. I told you everything that happened. I left nothing out. I didn't even press you on what you were going to do about it because I knew I could trust. I defended you to Jasper, Alice, and James…everyone! I defend you all of the time because I know that if anyone ever betrays me…it'll never be you."_

" _I didn't betr-"_

" _Yes you did! Emmett is my husband. If you hurt him, you hurt me. So thank you for that."_

 _There's a small knock on the door. Both father and daughter ignore it. The two are staring at each other. Aro eyes are filled with confusion and Rosalie with anger. Aro rises to his feet, "I'm your father. I won't apologize for contemplating whether or not to give your husband up in order to protect you. I won't. I won't. You think too much with emotion."_

" _I think too much with emotion! This coming from the guy who bludgeoned his own father with his fists! This coming from the same man who admitted to me that he got into countless fights because someone said something that he didn't like or agree with. You are a hypocrite."_

" _And you need to watch your mouth!"_

" _No!"_

" _Rosalie-"_

" _No! Are you going to get mad? What are you going to do? Are you going to hit me like you hit my brother? Will you throw me under the bus to save yourself? Oh, wait…I know," Her eyes are wide and filled with rage, "you're going to punch me out of a window? Or maybe bash my head in and leave me in the middle of a forest!"_

" _THAT'S ENOUGH!"_

 _She laughs, "Like father, like daughter, huh?" another small knocks hits the door, "We're not done talking yet."_

 _The knocking stops. Rosalie knows her father almost better than he knows himself. She can tell that he's angry. She can tell that he wants to punch something or someone, but she also knows her father well enough to know that no matter how angry he gets, he'll never hit her._

" _I considered giving your husband and friend up, yes. And I don't regret it." He shrugs. "I can lie to you if you want and tell you that I do, but I don't. I don't. I changed my mind, with a little persuasion from your mother of course, but I still changed my mind. Now, I'm not going to argue with you, I won't. You can bring up as much of my past as you want, but I know you, and I know you don't truly feel that way. You're speaking out of emotion."_

" _At least I use my words…you go to what you know best and that's inflicting pain upon others. Your father, Royce Sr, Royce Jr, my brother, Brady, at least 95% of the town's population can all back me up. And I'm very aware of my flaws. I know that I'm screwed up, but is anyone really that surprised? I mean come on, look at the people who raised me."_

" _Now you're nitpicking. We did our best."_

" _No," she shakes her head, "my mom did her best. You weren't here. Uncle Caius and Uncle Marcus stepped in for a role that you should have been here to do. You left when I was seven and you came back when I was fifteen. I saw you once a month, but it's not the same."_

" _Can you really blame me for screwing you up then? It sounds like your mother should get all the credit."_

 _She's slowly approaching her father, "You're so smug," she's standing face to face with him, "and unremorseful," small knocks start beating against the door, "I'm starting to understand the point everyone tries to make when they talk about you. I'm done here. I'll go stay in a hotel." Rose turns away._

" _Rosalie-"_

" _What part of I'm done here did you not understand?"_

" _I'm your father!"_

 _She abruptly turns around to face him, "My father should want me happy!"_

" _I do."_

" _Emmett makes me happy."_

" _I want you happy, safe, strong, protected…and unbreakable. I want you flawless and pure."_

" _I can't be human and flawless at the same time. It doesn't work that way."_

"… _but you are flawless. To me, you'll never be anything less."_

" _That mindset right there is why you're not healthy for me. I was screwed up before I was raped and I'm even more screwed up now. I need to get out of here." She reaches for the door, and pulls it open. Her mother is standing on the other side, prepared to speak, but Rose raises her hand to silence her, "According to Aro-"_

" _I'm your father," he interrupts._

" _Not right now you're not." She turns to face Lillian, "Excuse me mother, I seem to be acting out of emotion right now, so I'm going to talk to you when I get my emotions in check."_

A shattering scream emits from the television pulling her from her memory. It's been six days since she saw her father. It has been six whole days since she last spoke to her dad. Aro had been calling her and leaving her voicemails nonstop since she stormed out that night. At one point, Lillian had to call and speak to Rose on Aro's behalf.

"This movie is dumb," Rose snuggles further into Emmett's hold, "Is she seriously hiding under a blanket. What is that blanket supposed to do? Why do people feel safe under those things? It's not like a murderer or a ghost is going to come in and be like I'm going to get this pers-, Oh I can't, she's under a blanket!" Emmett chuckles at her observation.

"The movie isn't that bad."

She shifts in order to glance up at him, "Really Emmett? The budget for this movie was obviously low." The shooting of a gun pulls the couple back to the film, "Oh no, he's sweet. I will never take a bullet for anyone."

"Why not?"

"…because if I have the time to jump in front of a bullet, then whoever I'm jumping in front of it for has the time to get out of the way."

"I would take a bullet for you."

"That's sweet," she pats his arm, "and it obviously proves that you're a much better person than I am." The two turned back to the film and was surprised by the sudden credits, "If there's a sequel, I'm not watching it. Why did they end the movie like that?"

"So people would want to see the sequel…" He maneuvers out of the bed.

"Well they failed."

A sudden knock at their hotel room door silenced the couple. They weren't expecting visitors and everyone who would visit usually called first. Rose climbs out of the bed. It wasn't early. It was nearing six pm, and the young couple had already showered, dressed and explored Port Angeles for a few hours. They were back in their room for the night. Emmett approaches the door, takes a glance through the peephole before pulling the door open.

"Maggie," Rose says, "What are you doing here?" She approaches her grandmother as Emmett closes the door.

"I want to talk to you…about your father."

Emmett points to the small bedroom, "I'm going to make the bed." He leans forward and pecks the corner of Rose's mouth, "Just holler if you need me."

Maggie walks over to the two-seater couch and takes a relaxing seat upon it. Her clutch purse rests in the center of her lap, "You should call your father."

"Now Maggie, don't go putting your two cents into a piggy bank that isn't yours."

The older woman slowly turns to face Rosalie, "As a mother-"

"…according to whom?"

"Now Rosalie-"

"I'm just saying," the young Hale throw her hands up in mock surrender, "giving birth doesn't make you a mother any more than buying a piano makes you a pianist. It's what you do afterwards that counts."

"I'm making amends."

"By hiding your three sons from your current husband?"

Maggie sets her clutch onto the side table, "I'm not here to talk about my relationship with my children. I'm here to talk to you about your relationship with your father. He needs you. I spoke to Lillian. She had said that she called you."

"Yeah, although I didn't hear a word she said. I just laughed and hoped it wasn't a question."

The older Hale turned to face Rosalie. Her frail and wrinkly hands reached forward and lifted her granddaughter's hands, "How long will this continue? Aro said he's been calling you. He's left you voicemails. He even visited a few times, but you didn't answer."

"I just want him to listen to me. I want him to consider my opinion and what I have to say. I want him to accept the people in my life because they aren't going anywhere. My dad has always been the first man in my life for a long time, but now he has to share that role. He's no longer the only man I love and can depend on."

Maggie grins, "You two are so much alike."

"How would you know that? You've been gone most of his life."

"You miss your father more than you're letting on. And that's okay. You can't be so stubborn."

Rosalie bites down nervously upon her lip, "I said some pretty mean things."

"And your father has done some pretty nasty things. He doesn't hold them against you."

"We were both wrong, but I can't be the bigger person. I'm not big person material."

"Maybe your father was trying to be the bigger person? You never answered all of the times he called you. He never got the chance because you never gave it to him."

Rose looks into the familiar eyes of her grandmother. While Maggie may have aged, her eyes still held her youth and the feistiness burning within Maggie's older body. Rose opens her mouth to speak, however, a knock, one that is harder and louder than Maggie's knock beat against the door. It shook against the hinges.

It's heard in the small, connecting bedroom, pulling Emmett to approach his wife and her grandmother. Rose stood back as Emmett looked through the peephole, "It's Brady."

"He can't know I'm here," Maggie gets up as fast her body would allow, "He can't know that I'm working with you."

Rosalie waves her over, "Here," she opens the closet, "Hide in here!" She takes her grandmother's hand and guides her into the walk-in closet, "Stay quiet. I'll try to get him out of here as fast as possible." She closes the closet door as Emmett opens the door to their hotel room.

Brady steps into the hotel, grips the doorknob and slams it behind himself. He approaches the smaller woman and stands feet above her. His form towering threateningly over her, "You want to make an enemy out of me. Fine! You've made an enemy out of me. You don't think! You just act! You're not smart at all! I keep telling you…warning you to keep me in the loop, but your narrow-minded ass can only think-"

"Hey!" Emmett pulls the commissioner away from his wife.

The moment Emmett's hand touches Brady's shoulder, the commissioner turns around, ready to swing, however his impending fist is caught by Emmett. The younger man twists Brady's arm behind his back, "Apologize."

"I'm," he squirms painfully, "I'm not apologizing to this bitch." He glares at Rosalie, "I tried to give you space after our little argument at Jacob's bar, but you keep acting up. You keep doing things without consulting me first! If you don't want to go to prison then you better make sure I don't go to prison."

"Emmett you can let him go," her voice is barely above a whisper. She's caught completely off guard. She has no idea what Brady is fussing about now. "What do you want?"

His arm is released, "I want to be kept in the loop."

"I don't know what's being planned."

"You're lying! And if you keep lying to me, you'll soon regret it."

"Bring it," she crosses her arms, "I'm not scared of you...not anymore."

"You've made a huge mistake Rosalie. You have no idea what I'm capable of. I'll do anything in my power to make sure that I don't go to prison."

"What happened to you?" she drops her arms, and tucks her hands in her back pockets, "You taught me and Jasper how to ride a bike, you stepped up and helped my mom out after the town shunned her, you've driven me to school multiple times, you chaperoned my eighth grade school dance, you didn't arrest me when you caught us drinking underage, and you've came to almost every birthday party that I've ever had. You were like my substitute father."

His voice is low, yet stern, "I'm also the man who introduced your mother to Royce Sr."

"You had no way of knowing what Royce Sr. was capable of." She takes a cautious step towards the commissioner, "You did no wrong. You were at no fault until you agreed to cover up what happened to me. The old Brady should come back…the old all of us should come back."

"It's hard to come back from covering up a murder." Brady steps away from her and begins walking towards the door, "We never talked about why I did what I did."

"It's not that hard to figure out. You were loyal to Royce Sr. He was your best friend."

"I also felt guilty, embarrassed and I blanked out. I just knew I had to cover it up. I introduced your mother to your rapist."

This conversation felt weird. She hadn't had a heart to heart with Brady in years. She was at least fifteen the last time they truly talked like this. It was about her father. It was a few days before his release from prison. She hesitantly places her hand upon his shoulder, "You didn't know what he was going to do to me."

"Do you think the people in this town care about that?"

"And do you think I care about what the people in this town think?"

"I would have been just as guilty as Royce Sr."

"And now you are because you chose to cover it up."

"I covered it up to protect myself and my son. He didn't deserve the ridicule either. I set this whole thing in motion by introducing your mother to him…and he attacked you, and the first thing I thought of was how I had to protect myself. You were already almost dead. I even told you that it'll be quick."

"You hit me. You tried to finish me off. And even if I did die, it wouldn't have been quick. You hit my head against the pavement multiple times. You dumped me into a cold stream. If I had died, I would have suffered. Telling me that it'll be quick was for your benefit, not mine."

Brady said nothing else. He simply nodded. He backed away from her as she grew emotional. He waved at the couple as he quietly exited from their hotel room.

Seconds following his departure, Maggie exited the closet. Maggie's clutch rested underneath her underarm securely, "Rose," her voice is low as she closes the closet behind her, "I knew a little about your rape, but I didn't know all of the details. Sweetheart," she brushes a strand of Rose's hair behind her ear, "I'm so sorry."

"You honestly do not need to apologize. I've heard enough apologies for my attack to last a lifetime." Rose smiles widely, "And I'm okay. I really am. Don't feel bad for me. I survived that moment in my life which means I should be able to survive anything else coming at me. Right?"

"Right," Maggie nods, "Sweetie I'll be quick. I know you probably want to destress from Brady's visit, but please call your father. Hear him out. I personally know how it feels to have a child who won't speak to you. It's not a good feeling so please call him." She reaches forward and gently squeezes Rose's hand, "Also Rose, the police are going to want to question you soon. They've already spoken with your mother and Alice, but when they speak with you, you have to mention Royce Jr. Try to ease in a motive for why he would want to frame Jasper and Emmett. You have to come up with something."

"Okay, I can do that. Thanks Maggie." She squeezes her grandmother's hand in return.

Walking hand in hand to the door, Rosalie couldn't pull her eyes away from her grandmother. This Maggie, the woman standing before her, wasn't the woman that her father described. Since her arrival, her father would slowly begin talking about her more. Maggie was defined as having no compassion for others. She solely cared about herself. She was incapable of genuinely loving another without some added benefit. When Aro would talk about his mother, he never went into detail. He would just provide small snippets of his mother's being. She has a lengthy criminal record. Remorse, guilt and culpability were never qualities she possessed. She never got emotionally attached to anyone, hence the reason why it was so easy for her to just up and leave her children when they needed her the most. She was manipulative. She was a textbook psychopath.

"Maggie-" Rose turns to face her.

"Call me grandma."

Rose smirks, "Let's not get ahead of ourselves." She reached forward and opened the door, "I just wanted to thank you for caring enough to come over and try to repair my relationship with my dad. I'm thankful, even though I know you're only doing this for your benefit."

"My benefit?"

"You figure if you convince me to forgive my dad, then he'll forgive you. It's smart thinking."

"I should go," she leans forward and pecks a kiss against her granddaughter's cheek, "Please call your father. He's worried about you."

"Mom?"

"Marcus," she spotted her eldest son before glancing at her youngest, "Caius."

"What are you doing here?" They said simultaneously as they stepped inside the hotel room.

Emmett tugged his wife's arm gently. She turned to face him and his mouth leaned closer to her ear in order to whisper his thought, "What is it with us getting visitors today?"

"I told my mom where we were staying last night. This is probably the result of it."

Caius hugged his mother, "We didn't know you were back in town."

"You never called," Marcus didn't offer a hug like his younger sibling did.

"I want to take you both out to lunch." Maggie deliberately ignores her eldest son's question. She clasped her hands together and smiled brightly at her two adult children, "the sooner, the better."

Marcus overlooked her entire offering. He glanced at his only niece and crossed his arms suspiciously, "You're here with Rose, and that means Aro knows you're in town. You wouldn't risk showing your face and talking to his daughter if Aro didn't know." Marcus approaches his mother, biting his bottom lip as he observes her confident stance, "So, I'm curious to know, how was Aro when you first arrived? I know my brother. It couldn't have been good." Marcus is grinning madly.

"I'll tell you about it over lunch. I must be leaving," Maggie reaches into her purse, pulls out two business cards, hands them over to her sons and departs the room. The door is quickly shut behind her.

Marcus and Caius stared questionably at the recently shut door. They haven't seen their mother in years, and if it wasn't for Aro, they would be questioning Rose on their mother's sudden arrival; however, they made a promise to their brother. They were here to speak to her on his behalf. Marcus turned around and spotted the beaming face of his niece, "You know you're the best uncle in the world when you walk in the room and your niece's face lights up when she sees you." He's looking at Caius as he speaks.

Caius shakes his head, "I think it was lighting up because she saw me."

"It lit up because of both of you." She takes a seat on the two seater couch. Marcus and Caius squeeze in and allow her to be squished in the middle.

Marcus' arm spreads out on the couch, "You know we never need a reason to come see you, but today, we're here to-"

"…convince me to talk to my dad."

"um," Caius clears his throat, "yeah."

"My dad is really calling in reinforcements." Rose chuckles as Emmett's cell phone begins to ring from the bedroom. She winks at him as he leaves to answer it privately. Once he was gone, the smile dropped from her face, "I don't want to talk about my father."

"He screwed up," Caius leans forward and intertwines his fingers together; "He knows this. And you know your dad, he's stubborn and he thinks it should be his way or no way, but he always means good. He's protective…especially of you."

"You don't know the whole story."

"He was willing to give your husband and Jasper up for killing Royce Sr." Marcus spoke in a hushed tone. By the shocked expression on his niece's face, he smirks, "Your dad keeps us in the loop about everything. We don't judge. We have no right to judge. We knew the truth the entire time. I don't have any kids. You're as close to a daughter that I have, but I can tell it's not easy. He's trying and he deserves credit for that."

Caius pats her knee, "You really hurt his feelings."

"My dad has feelings?" She scoffs and rolls her eyes.

"He's human."

"So was your father, but he was never heartbroken over hurting you guys."

Caius laughs and squeezes her knee, "You are definitely a Hale."

"Yeah well, you've met my parents. You understand me." Rosalie averts her eyes from one uncle to the other, "I won't say yes, but I will think about it. I will consider calling him."

"That's all we ask…"

A Cheshire grin slowly stretches out across Rose's face. She was going to allow her husband to finish his phone call in private before bothering him. She had her uncles there to entertain her. Rose takes the hand of both her uncles, "So Maggie, what's the deal? My dad barely talks about her. I need to hear it from you two."

"Caius wasn't really old enough to remember her leaving or sticking around," Marcus admits, squeezing his niece's hand reassuringly, "my dad was physically abusive to all three of us, but Aro took the brunt of his hits. We think it's because he resembled Maggie the most…you do too. Until Maggie left, I always took the brunt of hers…well verbally speaking. She was a verbal abuser," Marcus shrugs, wanting desperately to change the conversation, "My mother never really saw the irony in calling me a son-of-a-bitch." He added the joke in to change the tone of conversation.

"I'm sorry Uncle Marcus. We can talk about something else."

He really appreciated it. He didn't want to talk about it. Marcus had years to learn to push the memories of his mother to the back of his mind. He didn't want to bring them back.

"How's the auto shop doing?"

Caius shrugs glumly, "…not good. Working there is starting to get overwhelming."

"When work feels overwhelming, remember that you're going to die."

"Well shit Rose," Marcus chuckles. He was completely caught off guard by her response.

"I'm just saying; don't sweat about it too much. There are more important things to worry about. I thought you loved working there. What's the problem?"

"The shop isn't doing well. We may have to close."

"Why? Do you need money? I can give you money."

Marcus shakes his head, "No, we don't want your money."

"I don't mind and I'm pretty sure Emmett wouldn't mind either. How much?" She gets up from the couch, "I'll just go grab my purse and write you a-"

"Rosalie, no thank you. The shop is closing soon. We have to accept that."

She shakes her head, "It doesn't have to though! That place was your baby! It was my second home! We had good times there. You can't close it down."

"We tried everything," Caius admits, rising from his seat.

"No you didn't," her voice grows louder; "you didn't let me write you a check. I can help! Let me help you! My book…the sales from it has been coming in and the money from my speeches too. I have the funds to help you. What's the point in making money if I can't use it to help the people I love? Please. Let me write you a check."

"I love you for that Rose; I really do, but no thank you."

Rosalie was forced to silence herself momentarily. She watched Marcus rise from his seat. He approached her and pecked her cheek, "What about my dad?" Rose wanted to keep her father out of their conversation, but she couldn't help but bring him up, "He works there too. He loves it. That's his outlet. My dad likes to feel needed. You guys needed him as kids and he was there for you. I needed him growing up and he was always there for me. And he was needed to fix people's cars in this town, and he did it, regardless of whether or not they could afford it. Even if he isn't always appreciated, he likes to know that he's needed. He needs that place. It kind of keeps him out of trouble…at least as much as it can. No other job will hire him because of his record. He won't be able to work with people who don't understand him. He'll be surrounded by people who think they're better than him. My dad doesn't deserve that. I don't want that for him. He was truly happy there."

"Aro will be okay."

"No he won't," she tucks her hands into her back pockets, "…maybe now, but not when I leave to go back to Seattle. People don't jump at the chance to defend him. They don't line up at the opportunity to be his friend. They see him as a threat. They perceive him as someone incapable of earning forgiveness, of being loved, and being their equal. My dad may seem tough or he may act like he doesn't care, but it's an act. He needs that place. It's the one place he feels useful. You can't take that away from him. There has to be something we can do…or something I can do. What if," she holds eye contact, "what if I buy it from you?"

"And give it to him?"

"Give it to all three of you. I'll make the payments so you won't have to worry about the bank coming in to take it from you. I'll sign whatever documents."

Marcus pats her shoulder, "He wouldn't want you to do that."

"Sometimes he doesn't know what he wants."

"It's a possibility that he may get upset," Caius warned.

"I don't care. I'm looking at the big picture. He may not like what I do, but he'll eventually come around. I'm doing it to keep him happy, safe and out of trouble."

"You're willing to buy a failing business in order to keep your father happy and safe?"

She nodded at Caius' question, "I'm willing to do anything to keep my father safe and happy."

"…just like he's willing to do anything for you too."

She's speechless. She has nothing else to say. Marcus and Caius hug her, shout their goodbyes to Emmett, as they begin heading towards the door. She wipes underneath her eye, "Hey," they turn to face her, "are you going to let me buy the shop?"

"Why?" Marcus winks, "it's not closing down."

She breathes out a sigh and a sob of relief, "I hate you guys sometimes," she laughs and they know she's joking.

"We love you too Rosalie." Her uncles leave.

Rosalie walks into the bedroom. She has one destination in mind. Her purse. She approaches her purse, opens it up and begins searching through it. Her phone had to be inside somewhere. She needed to call her father and she needed to apologize. Before she could find it, her husband takes her gently by the arms in order to turn her to face him, "What are you doing?"

"I'm looking for my phone. I need to call my dad."

"I just got a call from my parents," Emmett tosses his cell onto their newly made bed, "They're renewing their vows for their anniversary and they want us to come."

"Their anniversary isn't for another two months," she comments, turning away from him in order to continue searching through her purse.

Emmett goes over to the end table and pulls out the drawer, "My mother wanted a jumpstart on planning. She also hired Alice as the event planner." He pulls out her cell phone, "Here."

She catches it when he tosses it towards her, "Alright, I'll go. I hope we're done dealing with this mess by the time it's your parents' vow renewal." She begins speed dialing her father's number, "I didn't bring any formal dresses with me so at least it'll give me another reason to go shopping."

 **-Tiffany.**


	15. No Worries

The room was silent as her light feet paced back and forth. Emmett had left out to grab them a late dinner while giving her the privacy she needs to talk to her father. His phone went straight to voicemail the first time she called, but Rose was never the type to give up. She dialed his number again, and on the third ring, he picked up, "Rose."

"Hi daddy."

"Hi," she could hear him smiling on the other end.

"I'm sorry," the two admitted simultaneously.

"No Rose," Aro placed her on speaker. He was driving home from work, "I owe you an apology. I…I shouldn't have done… or I shouldn't have planned to screw your husband and Jasper over. That was wrong of me. You mean the world to me. And they mean the same to you. I should respect that. I'm sorry Rosalie."

"You know I can't stay mad at you," she sighs, "I'm also sorry. I shouldn't have said the things I did. I didn't mean it. I didn't mean any of it. I was just so pissed." She takes a seat on the edge of her bed, "It took visits from Maggie and your brothers to see that. Uncle Marcus and Uncle Caius had me really feeling bad about myself."

"What did they say?"

"They tricked me into thinking the shop was closing down. All I could think about was how much that place means to you. I couldn't let them do that to you. I had to do something."

Aro smiles genuinely, "I appreciate that."

"Dad, we're suckers for each other," she cracks a smile.

"…at least we're well aware of it. Not many people can talk to me the way you did and actually storm out pain free."

"I get freebies."

He pulls the car into the driveway and shuts off the engine. He can tell Lillian and James are inside, and he's not up for walking in right now. Aro simply unbuckles his seat belt, and leans his seat back, "I don't know how a father could hurt his own child on purpose. The first time I held you and you looked into my eyes, I knew I could never hurt you the way he had hurt me. Your little small hand," he cracks a smile, "wrapped around my finger and I vowed to myself and to you that I would die before I allowed someone to harm you," He clears his throat, "I vowed to screw anyone over, including myself, if it meant protecting you. You are my carbon copy. Your mother was the discipliner. I could never bring myself to yell at you. I loved your mother and I never thought I would be able to love someone more than her," he shifted uncomfortably in his seat, "and that was before we had you. It was one of the reasons why I never wanted to have a second child. I didn't think it would be fair. I didn't think I was physically capable of loving another child equally. If you think about it, being the youngest is the biggest compliment ever. I mean…your parents decided they finally got it right and didn't need to try again." Aro ran his hand down his face, and sat up, "I know you said you didn't mean what you said, but it got me thinking…I didn't want to leave you for eight years. If I could do it all over again, I wouldn't do it, only because it meant I had to leave you."

"Dad, I don't blame you for that. None of us do."

"I was just so angry-"

"…with every right!"

Aro laughs quietly, "We enable each other."

"So what?" She shrugs, indifferently, "I don't care. We support and defend each other. We don't judge one another…and that's okay. Everyone else judges us enough; we don't need to do it to one another. You taught me that."

"Look at you learning from your dear old dad," Aro decides now is the best time to get out of the car. He steps out, closes the door and locks it.

"I always learn from you. I'm who I am because of you. Friends, boyfriends, husbands, and acquaintances may all come and go, but I know that at the end of the day you'll always be there."

"Between you and me," he clears his throat, "there's a hug here with your name on it. When do I get to see you again?"

"…whenever you want."

"Now would be good."

She smiles, "You got it. I'll leave once Emmett gets back." A few seconds of silence falls over the phone and before it lasts too long, she speaks, "I love you dad…and I'll see you in a few."

"Love you too Rose. See you." The phone call ends.

Rosalie holds her cell phone tightly in her hand. She's relieved that the call is over. It's always hard admitting when you're wrong. It's even harder asking for forgiveness. Before she could toss her phone onto her bed, it rang once more. "Hello," she answers without looking at the caller id.

"It's Detective Thomas and Biers. We want to speak with you."

She sits up straight, "Yeah, of course. I'm…I'm in Port Angeles, staying at the Grand Master Hotel. I can meet you in the lobby or something."

"That's fine," Riley replied, "We should be there in ten to fifteen minutes."

She hangs up. Emmett should be back at any moment, and the two were going to eat whatever he brought and then head out to her father's after talking with the detectives.

As she impatiently waits, Rosalie decides to give her mother a call. She had been mad at her father, and because of that, she hardly spoke to her mother. Lillian called her occasionally, but it was only to speak to her on Aro's behalf. She gripped her phone and her room key and headed out. She'll give her mother a call as she waits in the lobby for the detectives.

Before dialing her mother's number, she sent a quick text to her husband. Just in case Emmett got back before she returned to the room, she wanted him to know where she was going and why. Rose dialed her mother's cell and pressed her phone against her ear, "Hello."

"Hey mom," she greets, hearing the sound of a honking horn play through the background.

A smile stretched across Lillian's face, "Sweetie," she was happy to hear from her daughter, "I'm so happy to hear from you. When are you coming back to the house? You're wasting money staying at that hotel. Your father is sorry."

"I already talked to dad."

Her mother's ears perked up, "You did." Lillian glanced over at Aro, "He never mentioned it."

"…it was not that long ago," Rose shrugs, "and I'll be back soon. I'm waiting for Emmett. And the police want to speak to me."

"…about what?"

"Probably the same thing they wanted to speak to you about. Maggie stopped by and told me."

Lillian sighed, "I told her not to go over there."

"…well, she did. And the conversation wasn't painful. She was actually," Rose hesitated in order to find the right word, "somewhat helpful. And she acted like she really cared."

"Don't let her fool you. She's an undiagnosed psychopath. She's incapable of caring about anyone but herself. We're civil, of course, but I would rather be on her good side than her bad."

"Mom," Rose's voice lowers, "do you think dad will ever forgive Maggie?"

"She doesn't deserve his forgiveness."

"…but you and Maggie seem cordial. You've forgiven her."

"She hasn't done anything to me. I've never needed to forgive her. Yes, we're pleasant to one another, but she has never wronged me. Your father, your uncles," Rose took a seat as she listened to her mother, "I'm not a perfect mother, but she's far from perfect. She's not even semi-decent. What kind of mother leaves her children behind to be abused by a cold-hearted man? Maggie gave up. Aro stepped up. He had to grow up really fast. He never got the help he needed to move on. That anger festered in him. You always hear about the deadbeat dads, but there some deadbeat moms out there too. And I want to feel bad for her, I do, but she was never there for your father, and being a parent is a full time job. It's not part time or whenever she feels like it."

"Does that mean she has to suffer for it for the rest of her life?"

"No," Lillian answered, smiling at the sympathy in her daughter's heart, "but Aro doesn't trust her, and neither do I. And I advise you not to trust her. I mean, your father and I are watching your back, but just in case, take everything she says with a grain of salt. The last time Maggie came back to town, begging for forgiveness, she weaseled her way into Aro's good graces, and against his better judgment, he forgave her. I don't blame her for what he did to his father, because Aro is responsible for his own actions, but she put the initial thought in his head." Rose pushed the phone closer to her ear as the lobby grew louder and more active, "Your grandparents never divorced. Everything Maggie says or does is for her personal benefit. She will get something in the end. She thinks and plans everything through. Twenty years ago, she didn't just come back to town to fall into good graces with her sons. She knew out of the three of them, Aro was the loose cannon. He would be the one most likely to kill his father…and he proved her right. It may not have been during her visit, but he eventually did it. And the only person who benefited from it was Maggie. She received a nice sizeable check from his life insurance." Rose looks up to see the detectives walking towards her, "Maggie doesn't deserve his forgiveness Rose. Maggie doesn't feel guilty. She's incapable of it. And she's back for a reason, we don't know what for exactly, but I trust your father will find out."

"Mom, the detectives are here."

"Okay," Lillian lowers her voice like they could hear her, "just keep me updated…and please think about everything you say to them. They're not on our side. And if you can't convince them…confuse them."

Rose could hear the hidden panic in her mother's voice, "Mom, relax. I have everything under control. Trust me."

"I do trust you, but just remember to think before you speak. I don't want you to talk yourself and all of us into a situation that we can't get out of. I'm your mother. I know you better than you know yourself, and if they press the right buttons, all logic, reason and rationale goes out of the window with you and you say things without thinking. Just remember, when in doubt, deny everything, admit nothing and demand proof."

Rosalie hangs up and rests her phone upon her lap. Detective Thomas takes a seat across from her as Detective Riley fills the empty seat beside her. Her hands are intertwined on her lap. She's managing her shaky breaths. Rose was nervous and she didn't get nervous about much. She unravels her hands as Detective Thomas starts speaking, "We wanted to speak with you about the case. When we spoke with you a few weeks ago, we asked you did you know who killed your step father…and you said no. You have my word that you won't get into trouble. I need you to be honest with us. Do you honestly know who killed Royce Sr.?"

"Yes," she nods, "and it wasn't Jasper and Emmett. It was Royce Jr."

"Royce Jr. confessed about his involvement. He said Jasper and Emmett were the ones to kill the mayor. He said all of you were there and did nothing." She's shaking her head at Riley's words, "Are you saying none of that is true? And what about Brady…was he involved?"

"Brady had nothing to do with it." She's covering for him. Rose has to remind herself to think, causing her to slowly respond to their questions, "I don't think he's involved, but I do know that Royce Jr. is. Just think about it," the confidence in her voice is persuasive, "His father went missing five years ago. He files no missing person's report. The moment his dad's body is discovered, he's quick to want to speak out and make a statement about how he knows everything that happened." Rosalie's eyes are pleading with theirs to believe her, "He's trying to do damage control. It's no coincidence."

Detective Thomas Uley takes in her words. She actually brought forth a new angle into their investigation. He rises from his seat and approaches her, "Why would he throw your husband and Jasper under the bus? Why say you were involved? Why go that route"

"I don't know for sure," she shrugs, "maybe because he's mad or he blames me?"

"Why would he blame you?" Detective Thomas continues his questioning.

"Royce Jr. loves me. He's always wanted me even at the most inappropriate times. His father got me without my consent, and he revenged that. Now that he's older, he probably regrets it. And he probably resents the fact that even though he killed his stepfather in my honor, I don't want him. I never wanted him and he's mad about that." Rosalie intentionally brings tears to her eyes. She looks up and grabs his wrist gently, "He wants me to pay for what he did and he's taking it out on my husband. Royce Jr. needs help."

Detective Biers placed a hand against her shoulder, "You said you went to the mayor's office and the mayor wasn't there."

"He wasn't." She turns to face him, "…but Royce Jr. was. We left. Royce Jr. stayed. My stepfather must have shown back up."

"Is there any way you can prove this?"

"I can try," Rose feels hopeful. By the looks on their faces, she feels like they might actually believe her, "I can be your CI or something."

"It's more complicated than that." Thomas chuckles.

"I can just do it off the record. Royce Jr. loves me. I can use that to my advantage. If I find out anything, I'll just report it to you guys."

"Okay, it's worth a shot. And it wouldn't hurt the investigation, but just because you tell us something, doesn't mean it'll become evidence," The younger detective rises to his feet, "When we talked with you in the car, you said you didn't know who killed your stepfather."

"I was covering for him."

"What made you stop?" Detective Thomas crossed his arms.

"He tried to frame my husband and one of my closest friends."

"Since the mayor's death," Riley helps Rose to her feet, "have you seen Royce Jr.?"

"No, I haven't seen him since he came to one of my speeches."

"Why did he come?"

"…he was scared because he found out that his father's body was discovered. He was frantic."

"Rosalie," Detective Thomas voice grew calm and quiet, "is there anything else you want to tell us that you think we need to know? Nothing you say is irrelevant."

"I didn't speak up at first because I hate Royce Sr. I still do. I was willing to act like Royce Jr. was innocent for five years but not when he's willing to frame Emmett and Jasper. That's not right. Royce Sr. doesn't deserve justice in my opinion, but since, everyone else thinks he does, I have to tolerate it. Isn't it ironic though? I'm helping my rapist get justice."

"We're sorry. Thank you for speaking with us today."

Detective Riley and Thomas gave her a farewell pat of the shoulder before folding their notepads and tucking it away. She wiped the tears pressing through her eyes as they slowly backed away from her. Riley gave her one last look before pulling his partner out of the lobby. The twenty-two year gathered herself and began walking towards the elevator. She earns side glances from bystanders as she maneuvers pass them. When the elevator doors opened, she rushed into it, pressed her floor key and continually pressed down upon the closed door button. Once the doors closed, she released a loud breath of relief. Her peripheral vision noticed the camera in the corner and as a result, she kept her head low. When the doors reopened, she rushed out of the elevator, inserted her key into the door, and pushed it open.

As she slammed the door closed, her back pressed against it. She's breathing deeply as a smile stretches across her face, "Okay Rose," she hears Emmett's voice from the other room, "I made the mistake of going to the grocery store hungry…so we are now the proud owners of aisles three and eight. Don't kill me. I couldn't resist. I paid some people to help me bring the bags up. I refuse to make more than one trip." She wipes the fake tears off of her face.

Rosalie enters their bedroom and notices the several grocery bags surrounding the floor. She wraps her arms around him and rests her head against his chest, "I just finished talking to the detectives," she looks up, her chin resting along his pecks, "I'm supposed to report back to them when and if I find out any information. I can just manipulate everything to pinpoint Royce Jr. as the suspect." She's happy as she hugs him tighter, "It'll work. My dad will eventually have to talk to the officers and his plan is to tell them Royce Jr.'s trying to frame you and Jasper. His version of the story will be similar to mine, but it also has to be different in some ways. My dad is going with the idea that he tried to convince Royce Jr. not to 'lie' and frame you guys, but he refused to offer a bribe. Royce Jr. seems like the type to take a bribe especially because we could imply it would contribute to him leaving the country. It'll work. Anyone would find it suspicious how Royce Jr. just disappeared for five years and didn't even report his own father missing."

"I made you a sandwich." He nods towards the food.

She laughs calmly, "Thank you."

Rose walks over to lift her sandwich. Emmett lifted his and the two tapped their sandwiches together as if they made a toast, "Dig in." He stretched open his mouth and took the largest bite, "Rose," he's talking with his mouth full, "You really think this is going to work."

"…it has to." She's sitting at the edge of the bed, quietly eating at her food, "We'll go to my parents' house and see what we missed."

"How did the conversation with your dad go?"

"…better than expected. He wasn't mad at me anymore. He forgave me for things I said. I forgave him too. We've moved on."

Emmett is holding the other half of his sandwich, "Come on. I'll be finished this other half by the time we get to the car. I can tell you're anxious to see him. Let's go."

"Is it that obvious?"

"It's written clear across your face."

She laughs as she holds her sandwich up, and collects her phone and purse with the other hand. Rose follows closely behind her husband, occasionally biting at her sandwich, "I am so hungry."

"We're eating like pigs," Emmett jokes.

"We're just hungry…really hungry."

The young wife chuckles as she follows her husband into the elevator. She's mindful of the cameras, and just in case, they're ever subpoenaed, she has to keep up the charade. Rose pushes the strap of her purse onto her shoulder, and grabs her husband's arm. She looks extra clingy.

The doors opened and he escorted her out to the parking garage. He didn't park far. Since it was the middle of the afternoon, most people were gone and most spots were open. Emmett's silent as she releases his arm. He unlocks the door as he finishes the last bite of his sandwich. Rose gets inside, and notices the quiet and solemn look on her husband's face, "Penny for your thoughts," she winks, "a dollar if they're dirty."

"That act back there…"

"What about it?"

Rose silently shrugged, "What about it?" She brushes the loose crumbs off of her lap, "It's just safety measures. You never know if something will backfire. It's better to be safe than sorry."

"You really think it could backfire?"

She covers his hand with hers, "Of course not."

Emmett doesn't accept her answer. He starts the car and puts the vehicle in reverse, "…then why take precautions?" He backs the car up, "why pretend to be upset? Why act sad?"

"…because that's how I was in front of the detectives." He does accept that answer. Rose outstretches her hand and rests it against his bicep, "Em, you have to relax. The detectives can smell fear and they can definitely read it on your face. You're freaking out mentally. I'm no professional, but even I can see that. Babe you have to be calm when they're around. You can freak out as much as you want in front of me." Rose turns to stare out of the passenger window as he silently drives, "When all of this is over, we're going somewhere to relax."

"… the beach." He whispers, smiling off into the distance.

"Yeah," she pictures it in her mind, "the waves, the sand, the warm air, and the coconuts-"

"…the coconuts?"

"I've always wanted to drink out of one."

He laughs at her before reverting back to their fantasy, "and we'll do the best thing imaginable."

"What?" She's excited for his answer.

"Absolutely nothing"

"I like it," Rose agrees, resting her hand atop of his, "we'll stay for like a month."

"We'll just move down there," he jokes, not wanting the fantasy to end, "We'll sit in a beach chair under an umbrella drinking margaritas."

"After all of this, we'll need something heavier than that."

"…that's my girl," he pats her thigh.

Rosalie watches the trees pass by the window. It's a boring sight. It's tiring. There's nothing new, different and exciting about watching identical trees zoom by the window. She turns away from them, and faces her husband, "We're going to have a good life."

"I hope you're right."

"You have to think positive Em," she pats his thigh in return, "We're going to move far away from here. Seattle isn't far enough now. We keep getting pulled back. And I'm bringing my parents, my uncles, Jasper, Alice, your brother and your parents with us. That way we'll have no connection to this God forsaken town. No one in their right mind would pass up the opportunity to move somewhere with palm trees, sunlight, sand and beaches. Ah that sounds so nice."

"We'll put this town behind us."

"Yes," she's smiling widely, "just us, the beach and some strong beverages." Rose sits up in her seat, "I'm getting excited just thinking about it." She rubs her hands together as a bashful smile covers her face, "Em, don't judge me, but I'm hungry."

"Damn girl," he laughs, rubbing her hand, "we literally just ate."

"I think it's the nerves. I eat a lot when I'm nervous. Don't judge me."

"We're almost at your parents' house. You can eat there. I'm pretty sure your mother cooked."

Small talk fills the car as they drive along the almost empty highway, and once Emmett turns off onto Forks' exit, no cars are seen. It's the norm. There is nothing unusual about the roads being completely empty. As Rose stares at the passing houses, her foot taps nervously against the floor, "Are you nervous?"

"No, but you are." He comments as he increases the speed, "What are you even nervous about? We're going to see your parents."

"…the last time I saw my dad we ended things on a horrible note."

"The two of you talked it out though."

She nods, "My dad can hold a grudge."

"…against anyone, but you. How many times do we have to tell you that?"

Rosalie doesn't answer. She spots her father's car and parked beside it is her mother's vehicle. They're both home. She could only hope that James wasn't. She wasn't up for arguing. Emmett parallel parks the rental car, "Are you ready for this?"

"Are you? Why aren't you nervous? My father wanted to throw you under the bus."

"I didn't really feel betrayed. Yeah, I was mad, but I wasn't shocked. I would honestly be shocked if he didn't try." He shrugs, as he turns off the car's engine, "I wouldn't put it pass your father to do it again."

Rosalie nods. He's right. It's built into her father to protect her, regardless of who it screws over. She sees the front door open, and every part of her hoped and prayed it was her mother first. She could debrief her on the atmosphere inside. However, with her luck, she knew it wasn't going to be, and it wasn't. It was James. That was just her luck.

"I don't feel like arguing," she slams the car door shut; "I didn't come here to have it out with you. I'm not in the mood…and if you want to argue, I'll just leave." She closes her eyes for a few seconds. Rose didn't want to leave, "James, I just want this to go away. I just want to move on. I just want to see my dad. Please…please don't start anything today."

James waves his sister to approach him. With a long frown on her face, and skepticism in her eyes, she obliges. Emmett is close behind. He honestly didn't feel like arguing with James either, but if he wanted to start arguing with his wife, he was going to step in. James had been pressing his luck lately. Once she's within a few feet away, he opens his arms, "Come here." And out of relief, she steps into his embrace and sighs, "I love you kid." Rose was extremely surprised, and normally she would question him on his odd behavior, but she chose to accept it. She hadn't hugged her brother in what felt like forever. James pressed a kiss against her forehead, "Absence seems to make the heart grow fonder." He looked down at her and grinned, "I missed you and we definitely need to talk later." She nods.

"So, no more arguing? No more being mad at each other? No more hitting below the belt?"

"…no more," he decides.

"Alright James, we agreed to you seeing her first. Let her in. I was promised a hug." Aro's voice could be heard in the living room. And without a second thought, Rose picked up her pace and ran into her father's arms. Her body slammed against his as her arms wrapped tightly around him, "I'm sorry and I love you." Aro laughs softly, "I take back everything. You're the best dad. I love you! And I'm so sorry!"

As Emmett enters, he closes the door behind him. He stands awkwardly in the center of the room until Lillian approaches him, "We're the only ones who didn't get a hug." She jokes, opening her arms, "It's weird to see everyone so happy." He hugs his mother-in-law.

"This is going to be a lot to ask, but," Rose starts, feeling her father peck her forehead, "Can we pretend like we didn't have an argument? I want to go back to things before, minus you trying to throw my husband under the bus, but I want to act like the argument didn't exist."

"What argument? I don't recall it."

She sighs and smiles genuinely, "I love you dad. And now I have a lot to fill you in on."

Aro leads her to the couch, "You're staying here, right?"

"We'll be back tomorrow. We still have the room for another night."

"Your mom said the detectives came to see you…" he pushed on as she nodded.

"Well-" her mouth opens to continue, but a hard knock beats against the door, "Are you guys expecting more company?"

"No," Aro shakes his head, waving for James to get the door.

James approached the front door, and peeked through the peephole, "Mom," he turns to face his mother, "it's…it's my dad."

"What?" she pushes her son out of the way, and opens the door, "Joseph?" He may have aged, but she would recognize him anywhere, "What are you doing here? You're supposed to be in prison." She's utterly confused.

"I was released," he smiles and drops his bags down by his feet, "And I'm back. I'm here to connect with my son. I'm here to acquaint myself with the free world. And I'm here to get what's owed to me." The smile on his face drops as he slams the door behind him.


	16. Secrets Revealed

Rosalie shut her suitcase, and climbed on top of it. She was always in the habit of over packing. And now that she was checking out of the hotel on this bright and sunny morning, she was in desperate need of some caffeine. She and Emmett didn't get back to the hotel until the wee hours in the morning. From the sudden arrival of Joseph, her mother's scared temperament and her father's growing rage, she couldn't leave any of them. Rose had only agreed to leave to grab her belongings and then head back. She didn't want the hotel to charge her for another day. Within minutes, she had packed most of the hotel room. It was only her suitcase that gave her the greatest trouble. Her weight wasn't enough to push it close. No matter how much she shifted on top and pressed down upon the luggage, it wouldn't shut.

"Em," she hopped off of the bag, "I need you to zip this." She took a step back as her husband took over zipping up her rolling suitcase, "Before we go back to my mom's house, we need to stop for food. I'm starving."

"…I'm guessing no pizza?" He managed to zip the suitcase shut.

She grabbed her stomach, "I don't know what happened with that last night. I couldn't bear the smell of it," she pulled her suitcase off the bed, "And because I didn't eat last night, I'm starving today." Rosalie rolled her suitcase to the door as Emmett grabbed the remainder of the bags.

The two walked down the corridor of the hotel as they approached the elevator. Rose followed behind her husband as he held the elevator door open, "Do you think Joseph is here to stay?" Since leaving her parents' home last night, they didn't speak of James' father's sudden arrival.

"I hope not." They walked off of the elevator, "We already have enough on our plate."

"Want to take the luggage to the car while I check out?"

Emmett simply nodded. He took a hold of the single suitcase she rolled, and began heading towards the parking garage. Rose watched as he disappeared and turned to head to the line of people either checking in or checking out of the hotel. As she patiently waited in line, she couldn't help but think back to last night. She had never met or seen her brother's father before. They barely spoke about him. It was as if he didn't exist in her family.

Rosalie remembered the look on her mother's face at the sight of him. She was taken aback. She wasn't expecting to ever have to see him again. Last night, she saw a side of her mother and emotions pulled out of her that she hadn't had seen since her attack. When the door slammed closed behind Joseph after he entered the house, the mood, the atmosphere and her mother's expression shifted. It changed for the worse.

" _I want you gone." Lillian's voice is low. It's strangled. It's a bit cautious. "I want you out of here. You have no reason to be back here! Leave!"_

" _I'm here to see my son. I'm here to meet my son."_

 _Tears are pressing against her eyelids, "What person in their right mind would let you out?"_

" _I was a good inmate…and I had the splendid letter of recommendation from my father."_

" _You're father? I thought you didn't know your father."_

 _Joseph chuckled, "Yes, well, a lot can change in twenty-six years."_

She temporarily broke out of her reverie to move forward in line. This was one of the few hotels in Port Angeles, and it was a popular place to stay for anyone visiting. Rose dug into her pocket and withdrew her cell phone. She had no text messages or phone calls. Her dad was supposed to be keeping her up-to-date. She thought back to last night. Her dad was just as confused as her.

" _What's going on?" Aro took a stand in front of her and her mother._

 _Joseph extended his hand, "You must be Aro? The high school sweetheart…I heard a lot about you." Aro didn't extend his hand in return. Joseph simply shrugged it off and tucked his hand into his pocket, "I'm Joseph. I'm James' father…and I'm Lillian's college sweetheart."_

" _Mom, what's happening?"_

" _Ahh," Joseph turns to face the young adult, "you must be Rosalie?" He extends his hand and she follows her father's lead and doesn't shake it, "If your mother doesn't answer you, I will." He turns and evilly eyes Lillian, "How can I put this in the best and most accurate terms possible? Hm, okay. Your mother is a manipulative bitch."_

" _Thank you Joseph. If you're here to tell all of us what we already know…then you can leave." Lillian stormed towards the front door and pulled it open, "I embrace it. I'm manipulative…and yes, I can be a bitch sometimes, but we all have our negatives. You…you're a murderer."_

"… _so is your other child's father. It seems to be something you look for in a man."_

" _Alright, get out," Aro grips the man's upper arm, "It's time for you to leave."_

" _You don't want to know why I'm back. You don't want to know what Lillian did."_

 _Aro dragged Joseph by the arm, "Nope." He shoved him outside._

 _However, before Aro could slam the door shut, Joseph shouted, "She's the reason I went to prison! She's the reason why I killed her own brother."_

"Next." She snapped out of the memory at the voice of a receptionist. She was up. Rosalie used the back of her hand to wipe at her eyes as she approached the desk, "Hi," she gave the kind woman a small smile, "I'm here to check out."

"I need your room key," the receptionist extends her hand and takes the key from Rose.

The woman could tell Rosalie had been or was about to start crying. The sound of her cracking voice and the watery look in her eyes was dead giveaways. Rose zoned off and allowed the woman to process the transaction.

" _Brother?" James was the first to speak, "Mom, you're an only child."_

 _Lillian shoved her ex-boyfriend back, "Get out of here and DON'T come back."_

" _Now the party's just starting," he helped himself back into the house. Aro didn't push him away. He was just as curious and he wanted answers._

" _Mom, what is he talking about?" Rosalie spoke up, turning her mother to face her, "Grandma and grandpa only had one kid…right?"_

 _Lillian wiped at her eyes, "No. I had an older brother."_

" _Dad, you knew this?"_

"… _of course. The whole town knew about Ben."_

" _Ben's my middle name,"_

 _Lillian whispered, "You were named after him."_

 _Aro had ignored the chatter from around the room as he watched Lillian pace back and forth. She had pushed the memory of Ben away. Aro set his hands upon her shoulders, and forced her to stand completely still, "Was Ben killed?" She didn't answer and the lack of eye contact provided him with the truth, "You and your parents led the town to believe Ben's death was accidental. He had come down to visit you in college and was in a car accident. Your parents had left town because they couldn't bear the thought of living in a place that reminded them of their son. They packed everything up and left. How come-"_

" _My parents didn't know," she admitted, guiltily, "And I wasn't the reason you killed my brother! You did that on your own."_

" _You drugged me."_

" _Mom, what is going on?" James was growing frustrated._

" _I had been a small town girl for my entire life. And you know being a small town person requires living a certain lifestyle. The second I got out of Forks, I had gotten careless. Aro and I broke up. I had met Joseph and that was the start of a toxic relationship. I didn't realize it until I was pregnant with you. You were my wakeup call. I was seven months pregnant. Ben had come down to help me get out of the relationship," Lillian's voice was cracking as she retold the story for the first time in decades, "I drugged him the night I was going to leave. Ben came, Joseph reacted and it went downhill from there. Joseph strangled him," she's glaring at her son's father, "We don't get city news here and I convinced my parents to not want to see the body. I wanted to protect my parents."_

" _You wanted to protect yourself," Joseph chimed in._

" _My parents moved away. I had my baby and I gave him to them. I told them that Joseph left me because he couldn't handle being a father."_

"… _you gave me to grandma and grandpa so you could finish your degree?" James is asking the questions now._

" _That was a part of it, but to be honest, I did it because I didn't know if I could look at you. For the longest, you were a constant reminder. I buried the thought of Ben and you," she nods her head in Joseph's direction, "Keeping all of that to myself, hardened me. And then when I came to terms with it all, I think that's when I started to overcompensate with you," she turns back to face her son, "I think that's why I put all I had into you. I felt guilty for somewhat blaming you on what your father did."_

" _How come you didn't tell us the truth?"_

"… _you know how this town is. I would have been blamed. It would have been my fault, and I wouldn't be able to live with that."_

Rosalie heard the receptionist wave her off. She was done and everything was taken care of. She gathered herself as she began heading towards the parking lot. Her mother had a brother that she didn't know about. When her mother left for college, she fell in with the wrong guy, and got pregnant. When she reached out for help from her brother, he was killed. She told the police the truth, but she lied to her family. For almost thirty years, she kept this to herself. It was eating her up inside. It turned a once kind woman that she heard stories about to the mother who raised her.

" _You're just looking for someone to blame." Aro takes another grip of Joseph's arm, "You can't blame anyone but yourself for what you did. Hate to break it to you Joseph, but it's still your fault. Now get out of here…"_

" _You should understand Aro. She screwed your life up too."_

 _Aro took a look back at Lillian. She was on the verge of crying. Aro rolled his eyes and turned forward, "Shut up and get out of here."_

" _This isn't over. My dad-"the door shut on his face before he could finish the rest of his thought._

 _Aro silently locks the door. He rests his forehead against the door and sighed. Just when he thought things were lightening up, they were just getting darker. He could hear James' feet pace against the floor, "So, that's why we were to never mention my dad? We couldn't speak of him not because he killed someone, but because he killed your brother." James covered his forehead, "I always got on Aro for killing his own father, but at least he did it to protect his daughter! My dad killed your brother because your brother was trying to protect you…and you didn't tell me."_

" _I didn't tell anyone. I wanted to protect you."_

 _James threw his hands into the air, "I'm out of here."_

" _Where are you going?"_

" _Home," he growled, heading down the hall towards his bedroom, "I'm going to pack up my stuff and head out. This is too much. I rather deal with Victoria's bullshit than this mess. Hopefully, she lived up to her threat of leaving me and she's gone."_

Rosalie spotted the car. Her husband was patiently sitting inside listening to music. His fingers drummed against the steering wheel as she slid into the car, "Em," her voice cracks and he's alerted that either she was crying or about to start, "What is wrong with me? What is wrong with my family? I'm just like them…and I don't like it." She's starting to hiccup.

"It's going to be alright," As he drives out of the parking garage, he takes a hold of her hand.

"No it's not." Her head shakes as the tears spill from her eyes, "I never had a chance. My grandmother's a psychopath. My father's a sociopath. My uncles are enablers. My mother and brother are…I don't know. I can't think right now. And the normal family members I have are dead. I never had a chance in this mess. And something is obviously wrong with you…"

"Hey," he gave her the side eye.

"What? You can't be completely sane if you chose to marry me and tolerate my family." She covers her face with her hands for a few seconds, "I'm hungry…I'm starving actually. I'm tired. I'm a little nauseous. And now I'm stressed. And that stress is probably causing my damn period to come late…throwing off the regularity in my cycle."

Emmett doesn't know whether or not he should speak. He wants to comfort her, but he didn't want to get yelled at in return. She's been hormonal since the whole revelation about Ben. With his hand still wrapped around hers, he squeezes lightly, "Babe, you have to relax."

"Telling me to relax does nothing. Everything is spiraling out of control. I have to worry about you and Jasper possibly going to prison. I have to worry about what Maggie has up her sleeve. And not to mention, now, my thoughts have been preoccupied with wondering what the hell Joseph's arrival has in store for all of us."

He pulls her hand up and pecks it, "Nothing's going to happen."

"We don't know that," she's suppressing her tears, "We don't know how any of this will turn out." She pulls her hand from his hold, "I can't give my all to everything. I have to focus on one thing at a time, but I don't want to focus on the wrong thing."

"List it by importance."

"You and Jasper are obviously first," she rolls her eyes, "but what if while I'm focusing on you two something else happens. I don't want to make things worse. I did that enough."

Rosalie is staring at the passing forest. She watches each tree pass by the window in a quick flash. Her husband's hand is against her knee, "How about you focus on the plan that Aro had? We don't know if Maggie and Joseph are even going to do anything. We'll just keep our guard up when it comes to them."

"You're right," she's nodding slowly with her eyes still focused on the passing scenery, "There are so many lies…and I'm tired of them. Everything is a lie. Everyone is lying. I'll do what I have to do to make sure you're safe, but once all of this is over, no more lying."

He gently squeezes her knee, "Agreed."

Emmett bears to the right and turns off onto the Forks exit. Steering the wheel with one hand, he uses his other one to assure his wife with the caress of her thigh. Rose shifts in her seat and glances at him, "What do you want to know?"

"How are you feeling about your uncle?"

"It's weird, you know," she shrugs, struggling to find the right words, "I've always known my mother as an only child. My grandparents died when I was young and they probably purposefully never brought him up around me. And James…my mother gave him to my grandparents because she couldn't handle those secrets and that lie on her own. Lies are getting us nowhere. We tell them, then we have to remember them, we have to know who we told and who we didn't and then they fester. What good is lying?"

"You have a point."

"I always wondered how a person like my mother could be raised by my grandparents. They were the kindest people I've ever met…and I always thought that if they raised me, I would be different. As it turns out, my mother wasn't always the way she is. Life, lies, secrets and time hardened her…kind of like it hardened all of us."

"Are you upset with her?"

"Yeah, just a tad. I'll get over it though."

The young husband pulled up outside of her parents' house. As Emmett turns off the ignition, neither make a move to get out. The two stare straight as the clouds begin turning dark and gray. It's going to rain. She unbuckled her seatbelt, "Victoria left my brother."

"I know. I'm sorry. I know how much you loved them together."

She shrugs, "Apparently he has commitment issues. I guess growing up without a father and a mother who has commitment issues of her own would do that to you."

"We've been together for almost ten years. You don't have commitment issues. You grew up in the same household and experienced some of the same things as James."

"That doesn't mean anything," she shrugs it off, opening up her car door; "You always have kids who grow up in the same household and turn out to be completely different."

She gets out of the car and shuts the door behind her. Rose had no intention of heading towards the house alone. She patiently waited for Emmett to get out as well and walk up with her. Before the two could reach the door and knock, it swung open.

"Is someone always sitting by the window or something?" Rose scrunches her face up in confusion, "I can't remember the last time I knocked on this door."

"Emmett called saying you two were on your way." Aro waved the young couple into the house.

She entered, "Where's mom?"

"Here I am," Lillian entered the living room, "James isn't answering his phone."

"…probably because he doesn't want to speak to you."

"I'm not in the mood for this."

"I'm simply telling you how he feels."

"It's not what you say; it's how you say it."

"Well I don't know how to say it in a way that's suitably acceptable for you to not get upset."

"Are you talking back to me?"

"Um, yeah. That's sort of how communication works."

"There's no need to get smart," Lillian approached her daughter and pulled her into a hug. She needed the hug and comfort of her child, "I'm so glad you're back."

"Mom, it's going to be okay." Rose rubbed circles into Lillian's back.

"I kept telling her that. I told her not to worry."

"You don't worry about anything Aro," Lillian pecked her daughter's forehead, "It's a little unnerving. I keep thinking about James. I don't want him to do anything stupid."

"I don't think he will," Rose assured her mother, "Remember what you used to say to him when he kept asking about his father." Lillian shakes her head. She didn't remember. "You said that James didn't need his father. You said that any boy can be a great man with the love of a strong mother. It explained how overbearing and protective you were when we were kids."

Lillian smiled and ran her hand through her daughter's blonde hair, "How did you get so wise?"

"I had you to raise me."

Lillian couldn't help but break out into a wide grin. She wrapped her arms around her daughter and held her close. A tearful chuckle erupted, "I cried myself to sleep last night."

"She did," Aro backed her up, "It kept me up."

"You're so insensitive." She elbowed him.

He shrugs, "It's one of my best qualities."

"That says a lot about you…the fact that you consider your insensitivity your best quality." She turned back to her daughter, "Anyway Rosalie, it was a good cry. I definitely needed that cry. It was a long time coming."

Aro approached the two, "I still can't get over how you managed to hide that from me this entire time? I suspected nothing. I should have found it odd that you never wanted to talk about Ben, but I just assumed that was a part of the grieving process. I never thought twice about it."

"After we broke up and I went to college, we stopped talking. We didn't really have much to say to one another. You were pissed that I left and I accepted that. And then years later, Ben died. I couldn't face you right away. I had James and I gave him to my parents…and then I had to work on myself. I became a very good liar. And then we got back together and I wanted to tell you everything, but I didn't know how you would react."

"How I would react? You could have told me anything."

"I didn't want to take the chance. I didn't want you to hold it against me." She pleaded for him to understand. She was young. She was impulsive.

"Did you think I was going to judge you?"

"…maybe," she shrugs.

"You obviously don't know me. I don't judge."

"And I love you for that," Lillian wrapped her arms around him. The emotions that she buried deep within her over the years were rising to the forefront. With one arm around Aro in a hug, she extended the other to pull her daughter in, "Emmett, you get in on this too." And he did.

The family pulled apart. Lillian adjusted the loose bun sitting atop her head. She walked around to take a seat on the couch and her daughter followed, "Tell me about Ben."

"He worked with your father at the auto shop when it was owned by Aro's dad," Lillian thought back years ago to when he was alive, "He, uh, actually hold on," she rises from her seat, quickly disappears into her bedroom and seconds later she reemerges holding a small shoe box, "He was a loner. He didn't have many friends. Your father and him hit it off…so that should tell you something about Ben."

"We weren't friends," Aro corrected.

"No they weren't," Lillian agreed, "but out of everyone in this town, they could actually tolerate each other. Ben was there when anyone needed him." She opens the box and pulls out a photo, "I kept this in my closet for years. I looked at them occasionally. Ben was always there when someone needed him. My parents were charitable people, the kindest of the kind and the most selfless and heartfelt individuals you'll ever know. Ben was just like them. Out of all of us, James is most like them and that's because they were there for him when I couldn't be…maybe I should have sent you to live with them before they died." Lillian handed her daughter the photo.

"I'm happy I didn't. I liked living with you, flaws and all, you're my mom." Rose watches her mother pull out another photo, "We all make mistakes. We all have regrets. It's obvious you try to overcompensate with James because you pawned him off to your parents, but he doesn't hold that against you. You were an unmarried young woman who was still in school."

"Ben always warned me against dating Joseph but I didn't listen. Joseph was a ladies' man. He had an alcohol and drug problem. He was aggressive. I don't know what's wrong with me, but it seems as if I'm attracted to those kinds of guys." She hands her daughter another photo, "He only came up to help me out. I drugged him and he was out. I packed up my stuff and Ben came but Joseph woke up. He charged towards me and Ben intercepted it. Ben told me to run and get help. I ran outside and went to a neighbor's house. They called the police and by the time they got there…Ben was dead."

"I'm sorry mom," the young Hale rubbed circles into her mother's back.

Aro hated to cut the conversation short, but it was needed. They unfortunately had other things to focus on and worry about. He took a hold of the shoe box and set it down upon the coffee table, "We need to catch up on Ben later. We need to focus this conversation on the current issue." He took a glance at his daughter, "We need to quicken the process. If Royce Jr. won't come to you then you need to go to him." A knock beats at the door, "Why don't people call first? Come in!"

The door is pushed open and Maggie enters. Her hair is pulled tightly behind her head and a scowl is stretched out upon her face, "You never called Rosalie. You're supposed to keep me in the loop with whatever is going on. I had to eavesdrop on my husband's conversation to know that you two recently met and you're going to try and pull a confession from Royce Jr."

"She didn't tell you because you're not involved."

"I can help," Maggie asserted for the umpteenth time, "Let me help."

"I don't want help from someone that I can't trust."

Rose leaned towards her mother, "Did you cook anything? I've been starving."

"There's leftover pizza in the fridge."

"Just the thought makes me queasy," Rose grabbed her tummy.

"You love pizza."

"I love food," Rose corrected, rising up from the couch, "but now a lot of it is making me nauseous, which is weird because I enjoy eating."

"I just want to help you all. Is that too much to ask? I'm trying to do you all a favor!"

Aro is still skeptical. His eyebrows furrow, "Why do you want to clear our names Maggie? You'll get nothing in return. This benefits you in no way, shape or form."

"I just want to help my family. I just want for us to be close again."

Aro grips her shoulder, "I'll let you help, but just understand that I don't trust you."

Lillian throws her arm around her daughter's waist, "Come on. Let's go look through the kitchen and see if there's anything in there that won't upset your stomach."

"It's probably a bug going around," Rose walks alongside her mother, "or maybe it's nerves."

"…or you could be pregnant," Lillian offered the possibility. After entering the kitchen, Lillian began scanning the contents of the refrigerator. She noticed her daughter didn't respond. She also noticed the questioning look on her daughter's face, "Are you pregnant sweetheart?"

"No," Rose's answer causes a brow on her mother's face to rise.

"Have you taken a test?"

"…no."

"How do you-"

"Mom, I'm not pregnant. Let's just drop this conversation okay. I'm not pregnant."

Her mother threw her hands in the air. She buried her attention back into the contents of the fridge. She was in search of something to settle her daughter's stomach. To hold her over, Rosalie popped open a cabinet and grabbed a few crackers.

Rose chewed upon the crunchy cracker as the growl in her tummy began to settle. Her mother pulled out some ice cold tea, "What are you so scared about?"

Out of curiosity, Rose's eyes expanded in question, "What are you talking about?"

"Are you scared to have a baby?"

"Mom, not this again... I'm not pregnant. I'm not having a child."

"Why not?"

"…because I don't want any children. I'm not arguing about this with you mom." She opened the cabinet and pulled out a cup, "I've just been hungry lately."

"Yeah, you've been nauseous and moody too."

"There's probably some other reason for that."

"Go take a test," she poured her daughter something to drink.

"I don't need to," Rose ignored the sound of someone knocking against the front door; "It'll be pointless because I know that I'm not pregnant."

"What's going on here?" A familiar voice shouted from the living room. Rose could tell it wasn't her father, husband or Maggie speaking, yet the voice was new and somewhat familiar.

"This conversation is over," Rose grabbed her crackers and glass of tea, "I'm serious mom, drop it. And don't bring it up in front of dad and Emmett."

"Margaret, what the hell is going on?!"

The mother and daughter departed from the kitchen at the sound of a loud voice. Rose's mouth full of crackers as she steps into the living room, "Hey Detective Thomas," she notices the reddened face of the usually calm man, "What's going-" she stops talking. From the look on her husband's face and the reminder of Maggie's presence, it all clicked. "Oh shit."

"What the hell are you doing here?" Maggie opens her mouth to respond, but nothing comes out. She's mute. The detective notices the looks being passed in his direction. He approaches his wife, and grabs her arm, "Margaret, look at me," his wife makes eye contact, "What is going on here? What exactly do you think you're doing?"

She's extremely calm, "…Aro is my son. I'm here visiting him."

"You didn't think to tell me that in the beginning of my investigation! You didn't think to tell me that your son and granddaughter were involved. You told me that your children died."

"Well thanks mother," Aro mocked, rolling his eyes.

"You misunderstood me."

"No," Detective Thomas isn't allowing her to drop the conversation, "I don't think someone can misunderstand someone, their wife to be more precise, saying that her three sons died a long time ago. That's something I would not forget. I knew your last husband died and you told me that a few years later your sons died as well. You never even mentioned a granddaughter."

"We were estranged." Maggie approaches her husband. She takes a hold of his hand, "I was dead to them. They didn't want anything to do with me."

"We still don't," Aro chimed in.

"I wanted to tell you."

Aro shakes his head, "No she didn't."

"I was afraid of what you'll think when you found out. I didn't come from the perfect family. I didn't raise the best kids. I was misguided and screwed up…and I guess, I wanted to hide all of that from you. I didn't want you to love me any less."

Aro noticed the look in Maggie's husband's eyes. The anger was gone. A flash of pity took over. He took a side glance at his daughter silently nibbling on crackers, before turning back to the detective. His mother was holding her husband's hand securely in her own, "I recently got back in their lives. I wanted to mend things. I was going to tell you once I fixed everything. I wanted us to be a family…that's all I want. I just want a family."

"Please tell me you're not falling for this crap."

"Shut up Aro," Maggie snapped, eyeing her middle son, "My husband knows me. He knows I always have everyone's best interests in my heart. He knows that I love him and-"

Aro cuts her off, "Detective Thomas, no offense to you, but you can't be that stupid. I mean…I know you already lack something because you married my mother, but I'll let that slide, she seems to have a way of manipulating people, but you can't seriously be falling for that shit. Don't lose the little respect I have for you."

"Dad-" Rose quips, silencing her father.

They had the good detective on their side and she planned on keeping him there. Rose didn't want her father screwing any of that up. Rosalie set her crackers in her mother's hand, "Detective Thomas, what brings you here?"

"That's no longer important." He can't seem to take his eyes off of Maggie.

"Honey," she's gently tugging at his hand, "Let's go home and talk. Please. I can explain everything. It'll all make sense once you cool off, we sit down and talk." He nods. She leans forward and pecks his cheek, "I'll follow you home. I'm right behind you. I want to say goodbye." Detective Thomas is hesitant, but his wife promised him the truth and he'll get his answers at home. He nods towards Rosalie before walking out of the house.

"Congratulations Maggie," Aro dramatically claps, "you have another man in your pocket."

"What the hell is wrong with you? He's our ticket in clearing all of your names."

"Did you marry him to use him?"

Maggie rolls her eyes at her son's insinuation, "That's ridiculous. We've been married since before this whole murder happened."

"When you came back to town, you didn't know what we did. You came back for a reason."

"I came to reconnect with you."

"No," he shakes his head, "it's no coincidence. It can't be. What is it?" he begins moving closer to her, "What did you come here for? Why reconnect with me, and not your other sons?"

"You're looking for a problem."

"I'm not looking for a problem when it's already there."

"Just let me help."

"…the moment I trust you is the moment you screw me over." Aro is face to face with his mother, "You want something from me. And I won't help you, at least until I know what it is."

 **-Tiffany.**


	17. It's Positive

Rosalie stood in her full length mirror. Her damp hair dripped down her shoulders as she stared at herself. Her hand grazed over her protruding belly. It couldn't be. She couldn't be. Besides the added weight gain, the fatigue, the moodiness and the increased appetite, there was nothing else to support her mother's theory of her being pregnant. She's standing barefoot, in a pair of tight fitting jeans and a sports bra. The shaping of her stomach was off. It could pass as a baby bump or just weight gain. She had been eating more lately.

In the mirror, she could see her bedroom door push open. It's Alice. Her best friend enters, holding a bag, and shuts the door behind her. Rose doesn't turn away from the mirror. She watches as her closest friend approaches her, "Oh sweetie," Alice's eyes fall to her stomach.

"I'm just getting fat," Rose rolls her eyes in an attempt to brush it off.

"Your mother told me," Alice's voice remained low as she stood beside her friend and looked into the full length mirror, "It's barely showing, but it's there."

For the first time in the last ten minutes, she turns away from the mirror. Rose maneuvers pass her best friend and reaches for a t-shirt out of the dresser, "With everything that's been going on, I haven't really had a chance to work out. I've been busy."

"Rose,"

She quickly pulled the shirt over her head, "No Alice, I'm not pregnant."

"Prove it," Alice holds up the paper bag in her hand, "I bought you a test. Take it and if it says you're not pregnant, I'll give it a rest. You won't hear about it from me or your mother."

"No," she adjusted the shirt over her body.

"Why? Because you're afraid of what the answer may be" Alice snatches her friend by the wrist in a desperate attempt to get her to listen, "Not knowing won't make it go away."

The young Hale stares down at Alice's hand wrapped tightly around her wrist. She snatched it out of her grasp, snatched the brown bag from her friend's hold and walked into her personal bathroom, "I'm going to do this to shut you up." She slammed the door behind her.

Within seconds, Alice heard the toilet flush. She crossed her friend's teenaged bedroom and knocked softly against the door, "Rose, let me in."

"It's unlocked," she heard Rose's muffled voice through the door.

Alice twists the knob and pushes into the bathroom, "Are you okay? What does it say?"

"It takes three minutes," Rose sits the test down gently, "Gosh," she lowers the toilet lid and takes a seat, "this is kind of nerve-wracking." She intertwines her fingers together, "We were always so careful. I never wanted to have children."

"Why not?"

"I wouldn't be a good mother."

"You don't know that," Alice begins rubbing circles into her back, "I think any child would be lucky to have you and Emmett as parents."

"You're kidding right?"

Alice's hand drops, "No. I'm serious. You've been through a lot but you're still standing. You're the strongest person I know. And any child that you bring into this world will always be loved, cared for and protected."

"It wouldn't be fair. This kid would have no chance."

"With you as the mother, Em as the dad and me as the godmother, this baby has all the chance in the world. You could birth the next president. Your kid could be the one to discover the cure for cancer. Don't cut yourself short just because of the people who raised you."

Rosalie adjusts her posture. Her back was starting to ache from being hunched over. She glanced down at the clock on her phone, "…only a minute passed. Time goes really slow when you're waiting to hear answers that could change your life forever."

"You're scared."

"I'm terrified," Rose corrected.

"I'm here with you every step of the way."

She inhaled a sharp breath, "This is horrible timing. I literally do not have time for this. With my husband and yours, not to mention Joseph and Maggie, I'm running on E."

"…then let me help you."

"This isn't your burden to bear."

"I'm a grown woman," Alice takes a seat against the ledge of the bathtub, "That's my decision to make," She sets her hand down upon her best friend's shoulder; "You have to let people help you. You can't always have everything on your plate. It's not fair."

She takes in her best friend's words. Her hand runs cautiously across her stomach, "If there's a kid in there, I'm screwed. I'm not mommy potential." She's looking down at the tiled bathroom floor, and at the sound of a gentle knock, her head shoots up, "What?"

"It's mom," Lillian jiggles the handle of the door, "What's going on?"

The young Hale takes a glance at the time. She still had another minute left. These were the shortest three minutes of her life. As her mother continued jiggling the doorknob, Rose took a quick glance to her best friend, "I can't deal with her right now," she's whispering, "please get rid of her. Regardless of what the test says, I can't face her."

"We'll be out in a minute Lillian," Alice approaches the door.

"Brady's here," the woman responds, pulling her hand away from the knob, "And he's acting weird. He wants to talk to all of us."

Rose doesn't respond. Her eyes are glued to the time. Instead Alice decides to reply, "Do you know what about?"

"What is going on in there?" She ignores Alice's question and tries to jiggle the handle again, "What are you two doing? Rose…"

Rosalie heard her mother whisper her name, but her eyes and attention were focused on the time. It had just changed. The three minutes were up. She shoves her cell into her pocket as she rises to her feet, "What does it say?" She hears Alice whisper as she approaches the counter.

Her eyes are squeezed shut. She's afraid of opening them. She's terrified of finding out the answer. Rose feels around the counter, and places her hand upon the test, "Open your eyes and tell me what it says." Alice is a little sterner this time.

"It's," she peels open her eyelids, "it's…it says positive." She turns to face her best friend, "It reads pregnant. It's telling me that I'm twelve weeks."

Alice's expression softens, "That's a little before you two came to town."

"If this is accurate, I'm a little over two months."

"You are," Alice nods.

"I…I can't be. This test is crap," she tosses it into the bathroom trash, "It's cheap. It's obviously a false positive," Rose adjusts herself, and draws her hair back into a ponytail, "I'll run to the corner store. I'll buy another."

"And what if it also says you're pregnant?"

"…then I'll get another."

"You would rather go bankrupt buying pregnancy tests than accept the fact that this test is 99.9% accurate," Alice lifts the empty pregnancy test box and throws it into the trash, "Come on Rose. You're smarter than this. You and I both know that you're pregnant. You can't even remember the last time you had your period…and that's because it was months ago!"

"I'm going to the store," Rose unlocks the bathroom door, "You can stay or you can come."

"…I'm right behind you," her small voice whispers.

Rosalie sees her mother, sitting at the end of her bed, flipping through old photos. She could make out the expression on her mother's face; sadness. She was thinking about Ben again. It seems every thought and emotion that she pushed down was now rising to the forefront.

"This is Ben when we were kids," she held the photo out towards her daughter.

The young Hale couldn't think of turning her mother away. She took a hold of the picture and looked at it as she went to grab her shoes from the closet, "You guys looked happy."

"We were kids," she's smiling down at another photo, "When you're a kid, you don't know everything this world has to offer. You're innocent and oblivious to everything," Lillian hands out another photo, "This is when I left for school," she chuckled dryly; "Ben was the funniest. I felt guilty for leaving this depressing town and he made me feel better about it." Lillian sniffles, "The greatest young man I know calls me mom," Lillian whispers to herself, "There are a lot of things I hate about Joseph, but I don't hate the fact that he gave me James. That's something I'll always cherish and hold close to my heart," Her eyes avert from the photo and over to her daughter, "Where are you going?"

Rose had just finished putting her shoes on her feet. The picture was sitting upon her dresser, completely forgotten. Rose reached onto her desk and grabbed the keys, "We have to make a quick run. We'll be back. We shouldn't be long."

"…but-" Lillian is ready to object but her daughter and Alice are out of the room in a flash.

She stands, grabs the picture off of her daughter's dresser and places it back into the shoebox. Lillian closes the lid, sets it down onto her daughter's bed and leaves the room. She sees Brady sitting between Jasper and Emmett. Aro pacing quickly, "Where the hell did they run off to? I could barely make out a sentence before the door shut."

"I have no idea. I just hope your daughter doesn't make matters worse," Lillian whispers, taking a seat in the empty armchair, "What are you doing here Brady?"

"I'm here to apologize."

"For what?"

"…for bugging you."

Rose is out of the driveway and onto the road in minutes following her departure. Alice barely had time to buckle her seatbelt before her best friend took off. Fortunately, it didn't take long to get to the store. It was the one benefit about living in a small town. Everything was close.

"Let's go," Rose hops out of her parked car.

Alice quickly gets out, "Slow down! The tests aren't going anywhere."

She gets to the door and holds it open. Alice sees the distance between the two, picks up the pep in her step in order to get to the door her friend is holding open. "You know," Rose chuckles as they walk further into the small store, "I enjoy holding the door open for people who are slightly far away," she's scanning the three short aisles, "just so I can watch that awkward run they do."

"I felt rushed;" Alice chuckles, waving her friend over, "and the tests are in the last aisle."

She turns quickly on her feet and heads in the direction Alice pointed out. The various brands of tests were intimidating. She saw the one Alice bought her. It told her whether she was positive or negative and it told how far along she supposedly is. Rose can't choose. She grabs another one, "Hey Alice," she looks to her best friend, "How many do you think you can hold?"

"You don't need that many."

Rose ignores her statement and proceeds to grab as many as she possibly could. She sees the cashier, a high school kid named Joey; watch her from behind the counter, "This stays between us Joey. I'm serious." She sees a smirk pulling at the guy's lips, "My dad absolutely hates it when people tell my business," the smirk falls. Rose smiles as he nods in agreement. His lips are sealed. She turns back to the row of tests to make sure she at least grabbed one of each.

The twenty-two year old balanced each box in her arms as she stumbled up to the cash register. The tests all fell out onto the counter, waiting for Joey to ring them up, "Where's your dad? I can't believe he's letting you watch the store on your own."

"My dad's at church." Joey rings up each item.

"Can I have the bathroom key?" As Joey rings up the last item, he reaches below the counter and withdraws the key to the restroom, "Thanks," she takes it from him, and gives Alice her purse, "Pay with the silver card. Grab a snack if you want. I'll at least need ten minutes."

"You're lucky I love you," Alice sighs, heading towards the few variety of chips the store sells.

"Yeah, yeah, God made you my best friend because he knew if you were my sister, my parents wouldn't be able to handle the both of us," she disappears down the hallway.

Alice scans the bags of chips and grabs two non-name branded bags. She tosses them onto the counter with a small smile, "Don't have a high-strung best friend."

Joey laughs, "She can't be that bad. I think it'll be kind of cool to have Rosalie as a best friend."

"You just turned eighteen like four months ago, you don't know what you're talking about," Alice hands him her best friend's credit card, "Although, I will say, being her friend is never boring. She keeps everyone their toes."

"I think it's kind of cool. Just think about it, her dad's Aro…like legendary Aro. That already earns her some cool points. I mean, he scares the crap out of me, but it's still kind of awesome. And she's kind of kickass. She survived a lot and now she's making tons of money and she's hot."

Alice rolls her eyes, "You're such a teenage boy."

"…maybe so," he shrugs, handing her back the credit card, "but I think it'll be awesome having a dad like Aro. My dad owns this sucky store and my mom's a gardener."

"Her dad's a mechanic and her mother's a veterinarian."

Joey rips off the receipt after it prints, "Still cooler than my folks…and besides, her dad has like, mad respect in this town. People don't step to him. They do as he says."

"That's not respect. That's fear. Her dad killed someone to get there. Aro has no friends. No one likes him. No one loves him. No one wants anything to do with him."

"You do…"

"…only because I'm best friends with his daughter," Alice corrects.

"That doesn't mean you have to see her father," Joey reminds, leaning against the countertop, "I'm just saying Alice, you choose to be around him, and maybe there's a reason for that. We all have these boring lives. He's probably the excitement that everyone needs, including you."

The young adult takes in the teenager's words. She's never put forth any thought into her relationship with Aro, separate of Rose. It barely existed. She saw him more after Rose and Emmett moved out of town, but it was usually to check in on him for Rose. Aro did give the town something. He gave them topics of conversation, something to lookout for and a reason to band together for a common cause. He may have been a bad person but he gave the town an odd sense of unity. Usually the younger folks loved him, but the older residents despised him. People in the middle ranged from respecting him to fearing him. It all depended on their opinion and their own separate experience with Aro.

Her best friend's father wasn't the type of person to change for anyone. He didn't act a certain way to get people to like him. That was out of character. The Aro you meet is the true Aro. He didn't put on a show for anyone, and that was something she liked about him. It was something she respected about him. Alice could see why Joey got respect for Aro. He may not condone the actions of Aro, but he understood them and saw him for who he was post-prison.

"Alice," she hears her best friend's wavering voice.

She grabs the chips from the counter, "Duty calls."

Alice disappears down the corridor. She sees the bathroom door cracked open, waiting for her arrival. When she approached, she slowly and gently pushed it open, "What's up?"

"They all say the same thing." Her best friend doesn't make eye contact.

Alice glances down at the dozen of positive pregnancy tests, "That's a…good thing, right?"

"No!" Rose shouts, rising to her feet, "Did you not hear anything I said earlier? I would make a horrible mother. I'm not parent material. I had horrible examples. I have nothing to go off of."

"It sounds like you're scared…"

"…and it sounds like you're patronizing me."

"I'm not," Alice corrects, watching her friend throw each test back into the shopping bag, "I'm just saying, look at the bright side. In a few months, you'll be bringing a baby into this-"

"No," Rose cuts her off, "if you use a positive adjective to describe this world, you're lying. This world is bad. It's awful! It's filled with hate, greed and selfishness. It's filled with injustices and atrocious acts. In what good world does a criminal walk free? In what perfect world do people starve, kill one another and turn their backs on those in need? That's not a decent world and it's definitely not a world I want to bring a child in." Rosalie wipes beneath her eye and storms out of the bathroom.

"Rose, wait!"

"No, Alice," she stops and turns to face her best friend, "As a mother, I'm supposed to set an example for my kid," her voice lowers to a whisper, "how can I be an example after everything I have done? How can Emmett? How can any of us? My baby will grow up to be just like me…and I'm terrified of that." She turns around and continues walking.

When the two arrive to the front of the store, Joey is no longer alone. In an aisle is Jared, the mayor and currently being checked out at the register is a familiar, random guy.

"Hey," he sees Rose and smiles, "we've met before…informally."

"I remember," Rosalie rolls her eyes, and tosses the bag of used tests into the trash, "you're the guy who drunkenly tried to get with my friend."

"…not one of my best moments," the guy smiles, "I'm new to the town, and you are-"

"Not interested."

"Hey," he hands Joey some cash, "give a guy a chance. What's your number?"

"509-so-not-happening," she growled, walking past the guy. She wasn't in the mood. She just received some news that she's conflicted about and she wasn't up for some random flirting.

"What about-"

"Dude, just take a hint," Rosalie waves for Alice to follow, "Gosh, I swear some people have the intelligence of a rock and the personality of a pop tart."

"What does that even mean?" Alice laughs.

After giving Joey a quick wave of the hand, the two walked out of the store. She was ready to get home. If she focused on Brady, Royce Jr. and the other mess they seem to be in, then maybe she'll forget about this whole pregnancy.

"Ms. Hale," Jared shouted, walking out of the corner store. He jogged up to her as she slowed down, "I don't know if you remember me. I'm the mayor. I'm Jared."

"I remember you."

"Are you alright? You look like something's bothering you."

"Is that your way of telling me I look horrible? Thanks a lot."

Jared chuckles, "No. No, I'm not saying that.

"What are you saying?"

"Ignore everything. I was just trying to make small talk."

Rose pulls out her car keys, "I hate small talk. Let's go Alice."

"Wait up," he jogs up to her as she continues her walk to the car, "You have no reason to be here Rosalie. You're making this town unstable. Everything was fine and dandy, and the moment you return, shit hits the fan. You're not like us, so stop acting like it. You're not one of us."

"That's the best compliment anyone could have possibly given me."

"Just go back to wherever you call home."

"Why," she tilts her head suspiciously, "Why are you acting weird? What's going on?"

"I'm willing to protect this town at all costs. I will go against any threats to it, including ones coming from you. Just get out of here. I don't want to be your enemy." Jared suddenly stops talking. He backs away from the confused girl as he reenters the store.

"What the hell was that about?" Alice was just as confused as her best friend.

All Rose could do is shake her head, "I have no idea. This town is so…odd."

"Let's go," Alice gently takes the keys from her.

Rosalie silently hops into the passenger seat. She doesn't want to speak about anything that has happened in the last few hours. She simply wants to get home, spread the news, and then move on with the plan. As her fingers drum over the buttons on her cell, the plan hits her.

"Who are you calling?" Alice asks as Rose places the phone on speaker.

"Sssh," she quiets her friend quickly when a familiar voice picks up, "Hey Royce Jr."

"Rose, to what do I owe this pleasure?"

"I'm sorry," she admits, biting her tongue as the lie pushes its way out, "I'm sorry for everything. This is all such a mess," she pushes a few fake tears out of her eyes, "Can we meet?"

"Yeah, yeah, of course," he's surprised and excited, yet he's trying to remain calm and uninterested, "We can talk? We can meet for dinner or something?" He's failing at being subtle.

"How about dinner one night next week?"

"Why so far?"

"I've been dealing with a lot of stuff right now. I don't want the stress of it to impact my mood during dinner."

"What about Emmett?"

"…this isn't a date Royce. This is just a test."

"A test for what? What about Emmett?"

"…things are complicated with us right now."

"How about this time next week?"

"Deal," she smiles.

"…it's a date." Before she could correct him, he hangs up the phone.

Alice is driving along the quiet and darkening road, averting her eyes from the pavement and to her best friend every few seconds. Her head is slowly shaking, "I hope you know what you're doing. Royce Jr. is going to bring you down Rose."

"For someone to bring you down, they have to be below you."

"What is this even about?"

"My dad and I talked…with Emmett of course, but we figured if Royce Jr. doesn't screw up, we'll just have to make him screw up. My dad wants me to treat Royce Jr. to dinner and play on his emotions. As we're all aware, emotions will screw you up. They make you do crazy things."

Brady wrapped up his apology as he roamed through the living room of the house. No one said anything as they suspiciously watched him. He had plenty of things to apologize for, including the bug he placed throughout their living and dining rooms. As he grabbed them, they counted. It started off with one, then jumped to three, then six, before he collected the last, seventh one.

"I only did it because I couldn't trust you."

Aro is speechless. Lillian decides to talk, "You come here to apologize and then admit that you've bugged us. What is wrong with you?"

"I took it back! I've come clean to you. I'm trying to make amends."

"Why?" Her arms cross above her chest, "Don't tell me you went on a little repentance trip. It's a little too late for that."

"I had a talk with Rose," he admits, earning the attention of her parents and Jasper. Emmett had already known about the conversation, "It was a heart to heart kind of…Rose is typically not the person to lay her heart out on the line, but we got somewhere."

"Skip the small talk, what was it about?" Aro finally found his voice and spoke. The subject of his daughter always pulled him into the conversation.

The police commissioner told them everything. He didn't leave out one part of his conversation with Rose. As he admitted his guilt, he saw the forgiveness on his son's face. Aro's face was unreadable and Lillian…she didn't look receptive to what he was saying.

"You think your words have any meaning." He opens his mouth to retort but she continues, "Your words mean nothing Brady! Actions are what define you! Apologies do not take back the deed that has been done. Can't you see that?"

He's nodding, "I do. I was so wrapped up in protecting myself that I overlooked those who I was hurting. I honestly didn't care at the time, but we have to stick together."

"Is that why you had this sudden kick of goodness? You want to make sure we don't double cross you. Did you pick up on a part of a conversation through that little bug of yours?"

Brady honestly admits, "I stopped listening after my conversation with Rose. Please Lillian…you have to-"

"I don't have to do anything! I'm tired of men like you thinking they can always get away with things and when they don't, they blame someone else for it! If it were up to all of you it would be my fault that Royce Sr. raped my daughter, my fault that you covered it up, my fault that Aro killed his father and my fault that my damn ex-boyfriend killed my brother."

"What?" Brady takes a step back, "Are you talking about Ben?"

"Forget it," she brushes him off, "It's not important."

He's not dropping it, "No, no, you said your ex-boyfriend killed your brother. What ex-boyfriend? Why did you tell us Ben died in a car accident? What is going on?"

"Joseph is back," Aro informs.

"Shut up Aro," Lillian spats from across the living room, "this is none of his business."

"It is because I want him to do us a favor," Aro approaches Brady with a devilish smirk upon his face, "You're in charge and you're obviously not above breaking the law. Lillian will give you information on Joseph and I want you to look him up. We have to know what we're up against."

"Joseph is harmless."

"Harmless people don't kill. Harmless people don't threaten. Harmless people surely don't intimidate. Trust me on this Lillian. I should know…"

Aro tugs the end of Brady's sleeve as he draws him closer. He snaps for Lillian to walk over, and pulls a business card out of Brady's jacket pocket, "Write his name on this."

She eyes him angrily, before snatching the card out of his hand, "Sometimes I hate you."

"Well darling, the feeling is mutual."

By the end of his retort, the door is pushed open. Alice walks in, leading an unhappy Rosalie in behind her. Lillian uses Aro's back to jot down Joseph's name as her eyes remained focused on her daughter, "What's wrong? What happened?" She's worried.

A long pout is stretched across Rose's face, "Hubby is going to be a daddy…and I'm pretty sure it's mine."

 **-Tiffany.**


End file.
